Let Freedom Howl
by Tziphora
Summary: She had only known the freedom of the outside, scoffing at those ignorant to think they were safe in the Walls. Until they came and showed her that not all humans are willing to settle for just living, but are willing to fight for true freedom, despite the costs. Now the question is, will she join them to fight for that freedom? R&R rated M for: swearing, gore, and boots to faces.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Seffra and Jonah (and any other ocs that may appear)*though I wish otherwise*

Prologue: The Free Wolf (updated)

*Slow, steady breaths. Let the wind set your heartbeat, as the water guides the flow of your motions. Keep your form in tune with nature and none shall sense your existence.*

These words were ones that she had taken to heart, never letting them fade from her mind, as their wisdom had helped her survive for years in the forests. That is, they had helped out there until that eyesore fell to the Titans. For as long as she could remember, that wall had been a reminder of just how free she was, living out in the open. Sure there were always Titans everywhere around, but if you actually took the time to observe the giant creatures and their actions, you would be surprised how easy it was to survive.

Or maybe it was because she had lived like an animal and thought like one that the Titans merely ignored her as if she was such a creature. Either way, it had worked, evidence being her continued existence.

Roughly three years ago though, everything changed. She had been gathering sturdy branches for arrows when the biggest Titan she'd ever seen smashed a hole in the stone structure. With barely a moment to contemplate her actions, the woman had hidden beneath some raised tree roots before more Titans appeared, running towards the wall and crawling through the hole. Even from the low vantage point of her hiding spot, she could easily make out the signs of smoke rising from the other side of the Wall and the echoes of the terrified humans' screams.

Curling up, she had taken the only action available to her, closing her eyes and covering her ears in a vain attempt to crush all thoughts of just what had been occurring within. Those humans had paid for their arrogance in assuming that they would always be safe and nothing she had done could have changed it.

Shaking the thoughts from the past from her head, the woman resumed her one-sided stare down with the Wall before her, contemplating the humans within. It was amusing in a crazy way how those very humans she looked down upon for such cowardice are the very reason she is stronger now, compared to years before she discovered their existence. Arrogant though they may be they had managed to create interesting items to survive.

She spared a glance at the 3DMG resting on her waist. This strange contraption had made traveling more fun, zooming through the air like a bird. It had taken a few weeks to understand how they worked and how to obtain their fuel but there had been plenty of corpses at the time to provide what she needed. It was now just a matter of conserving the scarce resources in her scattered dens and making sure they stayed supplied. Speaking of dens, the homes the humans left abandoned provided excellent dens during storms.

Despite all these great resources she had obtained during the humans' defeat, having yet another Wall before her with humans again living within in fear just made one want to shake their head.

Seffra Lyall stared up at the wall that separated her and the Titans from the humans within. The falling rain did nothing to deter her from staring at the wall in exasperation and curiosity. Just what was it about these walls that humans felt safe living with. Knowing that there was a hole in the outer wall kept Seffra from feeling trapped but even still, there was that lingering unease, yet those humans spent their whole existence in those walls.

Well, that wasn't completely true. Those of the Survey Corps ventured out. She remembered seeing them before the wall fell and how they would strive to venture further beyond the wall. They had been fun to study from the safety of the shadows. Though there had been times a peculiar man with yellow hair had exhibited signs of sensing her presence. She tried to avoid him now when they ventured out from this wall and she was in the forests gathering supplies. Him and that other man.

Seffra shivered, remembering that other man. Short though he may be, all of her instincts screamed "predator, avoid at all costs!" Those piercing steel grey eyes were as sharp as the very blades he carried. The grace in which he struck down Titans left little doubt that it would be foolish and bordering suicide to give him reason to attack her, and that meant stay far away from his squads.

A sneeze snapped Seffra from her thoughts, realizing that the sound had originated from herself. Which meant it was time to return to her current den and warm up. There was no one she could rely on to watch her back if she was sick. Not since Jonah died.

'Stop, don't even dwell on that. Jonah is dead and would kick my ass for letting myself get depressed. Remember how one lives, not how they died.'

Climbing through a window beneath the roof she stood upon, Seffra navigated through the hallway, down into the basement, over to the corner crammed with a pile of blankets that made up her bed. Seffra removed the green hooded cloak with the Wings of Freedom patch on the back, one of the last possessions of Jonah's that she was able to keep safe. Without the cloak's hood to weigh it down, her short red hair went all over the place. Green eyes stared unblinkingly at the cloak, lost in thought before she shook her head and returned to removing her gear.

Her clothes were sopping wet, despite her cloak, the blue shirt possessing only a single attached sleeve, the other torn off, and ending just below her chest, baring her stomach. The pants she had on could no longer be considered as such with the legs torn at uneven part to be shorts. These were uncomfortable to remove with the rain practically molding them to her body, giving no protection from prying eyes if there had been any about. The only thing she kept on was a locked metal collar, the key on a leather necklace.

Finally free of all constraints, Seffra was able to breathe as she curled into the blankets. She had gone without such constraints until Jonah entered her life. Saving that man from being eaten had been one of the best and worst decisions ever. While he had taught her everything about speech, the Walls, humans, and Titans, he had also stated the need of such mundane things like clothing and keeping clean.

-AoT-

Despite the language barrier they had first experienced, Seffra had taught Jonah everything necessary to survive. Of course, it had been far more difficult for him to practice and act on due to having lost an arm to the Titan she had killed saving him, but Jonah had taken to the training with practice, never giving up despite the odds. Because she didn't have much to discuss in the way of history, having only known life outside the walls, the older man had taken to telling her all about his life, the Survey Corps, and life in Wall Maria.

Jonah had been surprised how fast Seffra had taken to the 3DMG, though he had mentioned that it might have been her circumstances that gave her the ability to adjust so naturally to the changes the gear gave in stance and actions required for successful movement. For six years he had stayed with her, choosing to live with her outside the walls, later moving to Wall Maria after it fell, rather than bringing her inside the Wall and facing interrogation for simply having survived for so long.

For Seffra, Jonah had been her family, helping her be a better survivor. Sometimes, when she was curled up like now, she would imagine those blankets being Jonah, keeping her warm during the harsher winters. The man had even given her a birthday, the day they met, as that was when their lives had changed. Her name had been easier because the name Seffra had been discovered written on the back of the collar, the only piece of clothing (if you could call it that) that she possessed, though she had no idea where she had obtained it. Jonah had given her the name Lyall for her love of wolves.

-AoT-

Yes, for Seffra, Jonah had been one of the best things in her life before sickness took him last year. Things had become stagnant with the lack of Titans in her territory, but this abandoned town was where Jonah was buried and therefore, Seffra would protect it, despite its close proximity to Wall Rose and the humans within. After all, there were still plenty of Titans between the humans and her town.

'I'm safe here,' was the last thing she thought before letting sleep claim her.

The only thing she didn't know, was that an expedition was underway, and heading her way.

TBC…

A.N (update) I got some advice and adjusted this chapter accordingly.

A.N. This is my first AoT fanfic. I do appreciate any constructive criticism anyone can give me to improve my writing and any suggestions on scenes you would like to see. Please review and let me know what you think.


	2. The Board is Set

Disclaimer: Despite my wishes, I own nothing but my Ocs and will never claim otherwise. Respect other people's work and you'll get the same respect (supposing people are all ethical but I'd like to believe people who love to write have that same respect for others, readers too.)

Chapter 1: The Board is Set

Seffra immediately sat up, body tense as green eyes slowly perused the room. No shadow was ignored on the chance an enemy was there. As a rule of survival, never think you're the strongest there is, for there will always be someone out there better than you. To suppose that none can get the drop on you will only increase your chances of a slit throat.

Nothing was in her den, yet Seffra could have sworn that something wasn't right. Something had changed while she had been sleeping. Had it been a Titan, the vibrations of their steps would have been present. So something smaller that still posed a threat.

Swiftly and silently, Seffra first clothed herself in the still damp clothing. Survival trumps comfort she thought in passing as she equipped the duel harness on her waist, completely foregoing the 3DMG. She needed stealth right now and that contraption was all but silent. With the harness secure, Seffra reached into the corner nearest the door where her duel blades resided.

These blades were different than the ones the 3DMG used. They possessed no metal but look to be carved from something white that gleamed in the light. Black gloves rested on the handles which were actually just another part of the strange material carved to be the handhold.

Sheathing the blades behind her so they formed an x, Seffra turned to face the only door to her room. She would not permit anything to disturb Jonah's resting place, be it Titans or humans.

Goal in mind, Seffra exited the basement, ready to face what had entered her territory.

-AoT-

"Not a single Titan in sight. Why? Is this karma? Does God hate me? Why, God, why have you not graced me with any Titans?!"

"Shut your mouth before I have you gagged, shitty four-eyes."

"Ah, Levi, how can you be so cruel? I'm in mourning here and your just adding salt to the wounds! Erwin, help me out here!"

Voices, human. Survey Corps. Seffra didn't believe in things like jinxes but if she had, she was pretty sure she would have smacked herself for jinxing herself by thinking that the Survey Corps wouldn't come out this far. Humans were all over her territory.

But this wasn't the worst part. No, the worst part was him. That short soldier was right there below her, on horseback.

It took all her mental strength to keep her heartbeat steady and breathes slow and even, indistinguishable from the breeze. She couldn't afford to even grip her swords for comfort, paranoid that she might give off any killer instinct that could be detected.

This man, for despite his size she could not see him as a boy with the confidence he gave off, would surely sense her desire to attack before she even drew her blade. He'd seen battle and not just against Titans. He gave Seffra the impression of an Alpha wolf that was merely keeping his status quiet, permitting others to assume he was a beta, because he would not settle for being anything less.

"It is strange that we haven't encountered any Titans for miles."

That was the blonde man. The sly human male that also seemed to almost sense her presence. Though the strange crying person was new. Seffra had never seen this one before, though from the strange eyewear and continuous cries for Titans to appear, despite threats from the short one, she knew who it was. Hange Zoe.

Jonah had mentioned this person. Some stories he shared included the female soldier that was obsessed with studying Titans. Usually followed by survivors suffering from heart attacks from the eccentric woman's actions towards Titans. She refocused on the soldiers below her when the second blonde man spoke for the first time.

"Erwin."

"I know, Mike. We are going to search the town for anything that explains why there haven't been any Titan sightings for miles."

Hange looked at the two men in puzzlement.

"Um, Erwin, we already know that. We've known this area rarely had Titans for a while based on reports."

The blonde man, Erwin apparently, smirked. "Just restating it, Hange. Wouldn't due for any unfriendly surprises to occur when we've had such luck so far, would it. Then things might get unpleasant. Whatever it is that has prevented the Titans from occupying this place would be of great use to us."

Seffra froze, tuning out the woman's renewed cries against the luck of no Titan sightings, at the information given just now. They'd known. Somehow, those men had known she, or someone at least, was nearby and watching them. She'd just been threatened. Even though the words had been said in a way that they sounded like they were being directed to the female soldier, the real meaning had been for her ears.

'I'll just have to be careful. If I can just avoid this group, either they'll leave or camp for the night, at which point, I'll leave the town till they're gone.'

Armed with a plan, Seffra quietly jumped across the rooftops, back to her basement. If she did have to leave, she wanted the rest of her gear with her, especially Jonah's cloak.

-AoT-

Levi glanced up at the rooftops once the feeling of being watched passed.

"The coward has run."

Erwin also glance up on the rooftops where they're little eavesdropper had previously been hiding. Now that the bait had been set, all they had to do was wait. They knew someone has been occupying this town, the clean graves with fresh flowers proved that. Whether it was a group or a singular person though was unknown. Still, either way, someone has been living here for at least a year, if the newest grave was any evidence so someone had managed to survive beyond the wall for a year minimum. Such a person would either be a great asset to the Survey Corps, or could be viewed as a major threat if they begrudged humanity for living within the Walls, safe even if only while the Colossal and Armored Titans remained in hiding.

Levi was against this whole sneaking business, and had made his opinion known at the beginning to Erwin but had restrained from further comment since they had already begun the small covert operation. With the rest of the squad surrounding the small town to prevent anyone from slipping away, only himself, Levi, Mike, and Hange were to wander around the town, drawing the party from hiding. Even if Hange was in despair from the lack of Titans, Erwin was sure she would cheer up once she met the survivor, eager to unearth their knowledge.

"Your move."

TBC…

A.N. I don't plan on doing two chapters a day, but I hated leaving things off with just a prologue so I finished the official first chapter. Any reviews letting me know what you think or how this can be improved would be greatly appreciated. Also, a quick thanks to LockFlower and Alexdeathheart for adding this story to Favorites and/or Alerting and a thanks to all you who read the prologue. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	3. Unwelcome Visitors

Disclaimer: don't own anything but the ocs

Chapter 2: Unwelcome Visitors

Pride is merely a hindrance. Anger will only allow the enemy to take advantage of you. Keep a calm mind. Look at the situation with a clear head.

Why is that no matter how hard Seffra tried to keep those saying in mind, it wasn't during anything to calm down the raging urge to decapitate those humans camped out below. Especially the one that thought headstones were seats. That son of a bitch was using Jonah's resting place to rest his own ungrateful ass.

Cut off his arms, peel back his skin and remove his muscles and nerve endings by order of size, remove all his skin than press heated rocks into the muscle. What would be the best punishment?

Seffra shook her head, trying to snap herself from thoughts that would just get her caught. The damn Survey Corps had the whole town surrounded, cutting off all revenues of escape. She was not going to just hand herself over to those men. Jonah had sacrificed comfort of within the Wall to keep her from that fate.

But what could she do? These people came out beyond the Wall knowing that death was a likely possibility each time they ventured from the border. Just threatening a single soldier wasn't going to be so effective.

A buzzing sound, wire retracting, could be heard. Recognizing the sound of the 3DMG, Seffra shifted from her spot on the roof, slipping inside the building through a broken window. She managed to just avoid being caught as a young woman with light ginger hair landed on the roof opposite her, jumping from the roof down to the small clearing they were using as the main camp.

"Captain Levi, the scouts report no sightings."

The short man, eyes not even looking up from the fire, answered, "Very well, Petra. Make sure those idiots don't laze around. Just because they haven't seen anything doesn't mean they can't be caught with their pants down if something is hiding nearby. This isn't a vacation."

Petra, the woman's name apparently, did that same strange stance that Jonah had showed Seffra once years ago. He had described it as a means a acknowledging your leader, or something like that. At the time, she had been more focused on skinning the fish.

"Yes, Captain!"

And the woman was gone again.

So the scary man's name was Levi…..or was it Captain? She knew humans had two names (or three but that just made no sense) so was this man's name Captain Levi? And she had thought her name was strange.

Sympathy at names aside, Seffra had to be careful. Both this man and Erwin knew that someone was here. Judging by the calmness Erwin was giving off while speaking with the other blonde man with face hair, he knew that they were being watched even now.

Maybe it had been the years of opposing Titans that gave these particular men such fine-tuned instincts. That had to be the case because she had been within striking distance from some of the other soldiers within the very building they were using as their den for the night and none had even noticed. So this group was the one to be wary of, despite their small personnel at hand.

"Hange, any ideas why Titans don't frequent this area?" Erwin's voice seemed to be some sort of signal because everyone immediately turned to the Titan-obsessed woman who in turn immediately pulled out a notebook.

"Well, I do have several hypothesis. While there were plenty of Titans miles beyond Wall Rose, once we reached were within ten miles beyond this town, Titan activity seems to dwindle or cease all together. This holds true for exactly ten miles in every direction, with this town at the center. Now, from what we know of the Titans so far, they don't seem to have any interest in anything apart from eating humans. They don't appear to have any real fear of things, even deviants don't display fear of death so fear isn't why they don't appear here.

"Truly, the only thing that really makes sense is that it isn't that Titans avoid this place, but rather something is killing off the titans within that distance. Assuming that this is true, than this has been happening for a long time, enough that the Titan population in this section of land is almost none-existent. The Titans gather at Wall Rose because of the multiple humans inside which hints that if there are humans here, than they're few in number and don't attract attention."

Hange frowned at her notes before continuing.

"The only issue with the idea is actually a matter of resources. According to Moblit, there are no signs of any shops with the necessary materials to make weapons, so I can't even imagine what they would be using for a weapon. Assuming that they've been here for at least a year, then they wouldn't have the necessary resources for long term operation of a 3DMG, if they even had one, unless they were somehow looting bodies but we would have noticed such a thing missing during our runs. So they must have made another means of reaching the Titans' weak point."

Seffra mentally scoffed at this. Really, this woman had to breathe at some point. Unless she wasn't human.

"We don't need theories. We just need to capture what is killing Titans. Simple."

And now the fury was back. It was that old looking human that couldn't respect the dead. Mind you, Jonah's name wasn't on the stone because she couldn't write (Jonah had carved the dates into the other graves while Seffra made them) so he may not even realize he was on a grave, especially since she had placed him in the center of town so his remains would be easier to protect should a hoard of Titans appear.

'But that is no excuse!'

She didn't care anymore. She was going to kill that human and run. If the others tried to stop her, she'd kill them too. She just needed to get into the underground passageways and she'd be safe.

Plan made, Seffra quietly drew her blades, even as she leapt from the window, grabbing the edge of the roof and planted her feet against the wall, securing her body above the outer group, hidden by the ceiling's shadows. Legs locked in position and ready to push off at any moment, Seffra paused one last time, eyes taking a moment to check the positions of Erwin, Levi, Hange, and the face-haired human and their distance from her target. The only ones close to the old man were two younger men, brown and blonde. These ones may have been closer but they were obviously not as skilled. They were too alert but obvious about it, unable to keep as calm as their superiors.

Seffra smile, her right canine almost glinting in the light of the setting sun. One swipe and that human will fall.

Almost as if sensing he would no longer be able to speak with his companion, the blonde man glanced over to the dead meat and called out to him.

"Hey, Oluo, you shouldn't sit so far."

"Ah, cut the crap lecture, Erd. If I can handle taking down more Titans solo than you, then I don't want to hear your lectures. Besides, there isn't a single Titan around and no measly human is going to take me out."

Now!

Seffra pushed off the wall, using the push to assist gravity in pulling her to the ground, blades high and swinging down to split the ingrate from the middle. As she dropped down, Seffra noticed the eyes of the man's comrades widen in realization of what was happening.

"Oluo!"

She grinned at the fear in the human male Oluo's eyes as he looked up and saw white blades coming down towards his head.

Blood flew in the air, a loud shout echoing through the otherwise silent town.

TBC…..

I know I haven't received a single review, but have decided I want to write this anyway. Even if others don't think it's very good, I won't improve unless I keep trying. So thank you all of you who are putting up with this newbie's attempts and still reading this and I hope I can at least provide something interesting to glance at now and then.


	4. The Two Sides Meet

Disclaimer: Don't own anything but Seffra and Jonah.

Chapter 3: The Two Sides Meet

Dust was kicked up as Seffra landed feet first to the ground, blades up and ready to block any retaliating strikes, though all this was merely from habit. She was slightly in shock from what had just occurred, completely ignoring the blood dripping from her right cheek.

"How?" Her voice slightly grating from lack of use, Seffra tried to understand what had happened. She blinked at the scene before her, as if that alone would let her see the bloody remnants of her intended victim, instead of the man living, if not collapsed on the ground from being shoved out of the way.

Standing before her, blades at the ready, was the very man she had wanted to avoid.

Levi.

Seffra watched as Levi lifted his right blade up to eye level, inspected the point where the metal blade had snapped from the impact of meeting her own swords, the snapped piece having flown towards her face, slicing her cheek.

"Interesting," Steel colored eyes shifted to her own, acting as chains that kept her from moving, "You have an interesting weapon there."

The sound of blades being drawn came from behind. Seffra knew that the time for successful escape had passed. A single man had just destroyed her plan. Now she would have to rely on her wits to get out. Keep them talking until she could find an exit.

It took all of her willpower to not turn away from Levi and face the majority threat, because she would not be fooled. The soldiers may have the numbers, but it was this man that was the higher threat. Somehow, he had managed to cross the camp area and successfully block her attack despite not having shown any signs of knowing that she had been about to strike.

"How'd you know?"

What had given her away? A shadow? Light off of her blade? Just what was it?!

"Your desire to kill was so strong it was a pain in the ass to ignore. Anyone competent would be able to feel it."

Why did it feel like she was being mocked?

Seffra couldn't refrain from releasing the growl that rested in her throat, lip curling up to reveal her right canine. Levi merely raised an eyebrow.

"Well, looks like you're not a coward but a dog, going so far as to even dare to bare your fangs at me."

"Why don't I show you just how capable I am of tearing out your throat?" She would do it. This bastard was playing with her.

"Proving my point."

"That's enough, Levi."

Seffra could feel her body relax slightly when those eyes left her own to stare at the man slowly making his way around to her stand in her vision.

"My name is Commander Erwin Smith of the Survey Corps. Despite the circumstances, it is a pleasure to meet someone capable of building a life outside the Wall."

While his own blades remained sheathed, Erwin made no move to shake hands, something Jonah had said was a means of proper greeting.

"You'll forgive me if I don't sheath my blades."

Erwin chuckled while raising a hand up. It must have been some type of signal because the blades were then sheathed again. Was this a trick?

"While I had not been expecting you to just jump out and attack, I must say I've been very interested in meeting the ones to have been here for so long. What are you called?"

Did he really expect her to just share information?

"If not that then maybe you can share why you attacked."

Remembering her desire to kill that man, Seffra's gaze snapped towards Oluo, who glared right back, though she was happy to see that he still looked shaken from being so close to death.

"The bastard was disrespecting Jonah."

Levi glanced over to his subordinate while Erwin looked questionably at her.

"Jonah?"

"That is his grave the bastard is lazing on."

Oluo scrambled from where he laid, as if the fact that he was on a grave was dirty. Well, it was but he didn't have to act like it was a disease. Jonah had been very clean, which only caused Seffra issues when Titans easily smelled the older man, making her have to fight.

"Jonah was one of your comrades?" Erwin completely dismissed the fact that this grave was separate of the rest.

"Are you humans so ignorant of life out here that you have to assume that I need a group to survive out here?" This was really getting irritating. She may be able to withhold pride most times but right now, talking was all she could do to survive.

"No, Jonah was not one of my comrades. He was one of your people I saved years ago. Before Jonah, I'd been alone and have been since his death."

Seffra had only blinked when her vision was filled with brown goggled eyes and hair and was met with a loud voice.

"Is your sword what you used against Titans? What material is it? How did you manage to shape it? Have you managed to discover anything interesting about Titans during your stint outside the Wall? How did you even manage to-"

Seffra swiftly kicked her leg out towards the fast talking woman, only to meet air as Hange jumped backwards, almost landing onto Erwin in the process.

"Do you ever stop talking?!" Honestly, this woman could not be human with her abnormal lung capacity.

Hange regained her stance, only to be pulled backwards by Levi, "See, Shitty four-eyes, other people don't want to hear your constant blabbering. So shut it."

Erwin took a step forward, placing himself before Hange, hopefully in a means of keeping that crazy woman away.

"I apologize for Hange's outburst. Now about my previous question, this Jonah, you said he was one of us."

Seffra just kept silent. Information was what kept her alive after all. Erwin seemed to realize just why the she was keeping silent, as he changed strategies.

"We would like your cooperation. Your experiences out here in Titan territory-"

"Mine."

Erwin appeared nonplus by her interruption. "What?"

"This town is my territory. Not the Titans'. Not yours. Mine."

"Humans built this town, not you!" At the unpleasant voice, Seffra turned a chilling gaze to the wanted dead man who had dared to refute her statement.

"You humans abandoned this place. Now it is Jonah's resting place and I will not let Titans or you ignorant beings to defile it."

Levi raised an eyebrow at her words. "So you claim this land like a dog. Did you piss on the posts too?"

Ignore the short man. Ignore the short man. Ignore the dangerous short man.

Erwin raised a hand, silencing the background noise. "Either way, the Survey Corps need that knowledge. The methods you've used to survive for so long and the way you adapt and acquire resources could be valuable."

Seffra tightened her grip on her blades. That action did not go unnoticed as Levi slowly made a show of reading a hand to draw his own if need be.

"I refuse."

Erwin didn't even blink at that. "And why would that be?"

"Jonah. He gave up everything to keep me safe. He gave up his sister, mother, and comforts of the Walls to keep me out of your hands."

That did seem to puzzle Erwin, though it was barely noticeable.

"You said this Jonah was a member of the Survey Corps. Why would he want to protect you from the very group he was a part of?"

The group behind her hadn't moved at all. Why were they not relaxing at all? Was this all a stall tactic? She couldn't escape already because of the odds so reinforcements wouldn't be a plausible reason. She would just have to continue this conversation for now.

"Not the Survey Corps, but your leaders. Your ideals themselves. Whatever is different becomes either a tool or is destroyed simply because it doesn't fit within your standards of acceptable. This is why you humans are so ignorant, constantly trying to control everything and bend it to your standards. Jonah said that he would not force me to endure being trapped, a human that has never lived within the confinements of your Walls."

Erwin sighed. "I see. That is a problem."

And here it is. This is where he'll have them attack and detain her. If they thought she would permit them capturing her, then she'd have to rid them of that delusion. She would rather die on her terms than have her death decided by a bunch of fat cows.

A moment on Erwin's part had Seffra tense her body, ready to defend herself.

"If you come with us, and find yourself to be placed in the mercy of the Military Police, you may take my life."

…what?

TBC…

First off, a great big thanks to both LockFlower and Kal for reviewing. This chapter is being finished early because I felt so excited and slightly giddy when I read your reviews. I really appreciate the support. Second, I do plan on doing other PoVs but right now it will mainly be Seffra's for a bit longer. Again, please leave a review and let me know what you think. Thank you all for reading!


	5. A Man's Conviction

Disclaimer: Don't own anything but Seffra and Jonah.

Chapter 4: A Man's Conviction

It was silence, the sound of wind the only thing to be heard.

"….what?"

Seffra couldn't believe her ears. This man had to have been exposed to some hallucinogenic plant or something. Unless the idiots had used the plant for tinder and they were all inhaling the fumes.

"I am asking you to place your life willing in the hands of people that you have no reason to trust. You know of resources that may very well be superior to our own, evidence being Levi's sword. Your blade doesn't even have a nick in it after slicing a piece of his own blade off."

Erwin motioned towards the slice on Seffra's cheek, the result of the mentioned piece's short stint as a fast flying projectile.

"You said you saved this Jonah years ago, and hinted that you've lived beyond the Walls long before Wall Maria fell. As I stated before, such knowledge is invaluable to the Survey Corps. Therefore, it would fall on us to keep you safe inside the Wall, from those that would rather such knowledge life capable of existing beyond the Wall quiet. But you don't trust us and I cannot fault you for a reasonable conclusion. So, if you are willing to place your life in our hands, I will place my own life in yours. I truly believe you can help benefit humanity and am fully prepared to bet my life on it."

"Oh! Me too! Me too! If you tell me all the juicy gossip about Titans I'll place my life on the line too!"

Hange managed to shout out her piece before having her head placed in a chokehold, the difference in height between Levi and herself forcing Hange into an awkward position to try and relieve the pressure to her neck.

"You're not valuable enough to matter, shitty four-eyes."

"Levi," Hange coughed, "too much love."

Levi's only response was to let out a small "tch." and bend Hange backwards even further, to a point that Seffra was surprised her spine hadn't snapped under the pressure.

That must be what Jonah had referred to as a contortionist.

Erwin coughed, effectively ending the altercation (Levi merely released Hange who fell to the ground without Levi's support. He then went back to looking rude and unpleasant.)

Though Seffra just assumed that was his natural look.

Back to the matter at hand.

"You must either be extremely confident in your persuasive skills or a complete fucking idiot."

Erwin merely smirked.

Seffra glanced over at Levi and the rest of the Survey Corps currently observing this verbal chess match. Not that she even knew what chess was but Jonah had described such situations as such.

"And I'm to believe that your subordinates will just stand aside while I kill you, assuming that I agreed to this and you failed." She didn't even try to hide that she was asking a question but stating a fact.

"They trust my judgment."

"So you claim to be the Alpha here?"

She could just feel the raised eyebrows. Why, she didn't know. It was a logical question to see if he was the highest authority here.

"So you don't just act like a dog, you speak like a mongrel too."

Don't respond. Don't respond.

"You better not have fleas, you fucking mutt."

Screw diplomacy.

Seffra allowed a smirk to show, tilting her head as she rested a hand on her hip.

"At least I'm not some perverted midget that can freely get away with leering at a woman's breasts simply because he is too small to see over them. I bet you could walk right into a girl's chest and get away with the free cop by saying you were merely distracted by something and wasn't paying attention where you were walking."

Hange started coughing, though that could have been her attempts to hide her laughter, as the woman was shaking.

Seffra could feel the panicked looks mixed with shock. She guessed that no one had ever said such a thing to the steel eyed man before and if they had, they were not among the living still. If his eyes were capable of murder, Seffra had no doubt she would be skinned and forced to watch as her limbs were removed piece by piece.

Erwin brought attention back to the more important matters.

"I assume by Alpha, you mean the leader of the Survey Corps."

"Of course. Are humans so ignorant that you are unaware of any customs apart from your own?"

A haunted look seem to fall on Erwin's face.

"I will be the first to admit, we are not fully informed on how the world beyond the Wall works so from your standards, we are ignorant."

The look passed, the man's face falling back to its neutral look.

"But yes, by your standards, I am the Commander of the Survey Corps. My men trust me with their lives and will respect my decision."

Seffra still had a hard time believing this. Why would this man try so hard for something that will most likely fail? From what Jonah said, the leaders were pigs that were content to hide behind the most secure Wall and get fat, refusing to accept anything that could change their lifestyle. If this man died then none of his superiors would even blink. This man, Erwin would merely become another nameless corpse. So why try so hard? What was it about humans that they had to try so hard for something almost impossible?

-AoT-

Seffra watched as Jonah quietly ate the fish she had handed him. Despite it having been almost two years since she had rescued him from being eaten, Seffra still found it odd to have someone around that actually looked like her. Well, despite him only having one arm, a dangled organ, and lack of milk producing organs. Plus, the amount of scruffy hair growing from his face.

Sea blue eyes looked up at her through long strands of black hair, puzzled by the way see was ignoring her own meal in favor of staring at him.

The older man finished swallowing what was in his mouth before speaking. After all, how could he expect the girl to use manners if he was unwilling to hold himself to the same standards?

"Is something wrong, Seffra?"

The young woman tore her gaze away, choosing to mess with the large shirt Jonah had made her wear, slightly annoyed at the pointless scrap of material.

"Why fight….." she struggled to find the word for what she wanted to ask. While her ability to grasp the language Jonah spoke had amazed him, the soldier did find it humorous when she tried to connect the proper word with her thoughts.

"Titans?"

Seffra shook her head. Instead, she pointed at him then up at the sky.

"Human…..man…..leaders…"

Seffra nodded at the last one.

"Leaders." She tested the word, connecting it with her thoughts for future conversations.

"You want to know why I fight for my leaders?"

She nodded, "Leaders run. Hide. Uncare to bodies. Why?"

It took all his experience, meager that it was, of conversing with Seffra to understand fully what she meant.

"Seffra, not all humans are like the nobles. Life in the Walls may seem strange to you, humans preferring to stay confined in self-isolation, but for those of us who live there, it can be peaceful. Families, friends, lovers, they all exist within those Walls too. For the Survey Corps, we venture beyond the Wall to make sure we can increase the chances of those people staying safe. That is what we fight for. For all the humans inside the Wall. Not for those fucking pigs that are content to sit and grow fat, sure in their safety. Humanity is more than just those few individuals, Seffra. I hope one day, I can prove that to you."

Seffra just shook her head.

"Walls trap. I be trapped. Here is freedom. Here I survive."

Jonah almost seemed sad at her words, though Seffra could not imagine why.

"I know, Seffra. I just hope one day that you find someone who will keep you from being trapped."

This was confusing. Seffra stood from her seat and walked to Jonah. He watched in puzzlement as she plopped down in front of him and grabbed his sleeve.

"Jonah is here. Jonah keep me from trapped."

Instead of answering, Jonah merely rested his hand on the red haired woman's head, acknowledging her words.

Yeah. He was there.

-AoT-

Was this what Jonah had meant? This man was willing to bet on his life for even a chance of securing humanity's future?

Seffra glanced down at her blades. Jonah had been why she fought against the Titans. Before him, she only disposed of them if they attacked her and she was too far from any secure dens. But for Jonah, she had been willing to do anything to ensure he survived.

Her sight returned to Erwin, his face full of steadfast determination. Not a single cloud of doubt marred it.

She then glanced at his men. Some were worried, while others seemed angry. But they all had that same grim determination in their eyes.

Just like Jonah's eyes used to hold.

Seffra sighed. She honestly couldn't believe she was even considering this.

'Jonah, you were willing to sacrifice your life for humanity. If I do this, will I see what you saw?'

Taking a slow, deep breath, Seffra lifted her blades…..

Levi tensed but made no move to attack, same with the blonde man with scruffy face hair.

….and sheathed them.

Even though no noise was made, you could feel the tension relax slightly.

"Very well, Commander. Show me just what it is about humanity that has you make such suicidal deals."

Erwin smiled, raising a hand for her to shake. "So may we know the name of my suicidal deal maker in arms?"

That must be some human catch phrase, Seffra thought as she clasped her own gloved hand to his.

"You may call me Seffra Lyall."

TBC….

A.N. So a deal is struck. Now things are going to get tricky having to deal more with other established personalities and make sure they keep true to themselves. Still, this means I can have more fun. A special thanks to the following for adding this story to Favorites/Following:

Tachi Tsuki un  
lordoftheringslover22  
Rikkai and hyotei lover  
Hype Enigma

Also, thank you LockFlower for reviewing. I'm happy to know that I'm managing to keep them in character, cause these characters are all amazing and trying to keep so many personalities in check is hard work but fun. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

As always, please leave a review and let me know what you think and what needs improvement.


	6. Awkward Talks

Disclaimer: Don't own anything but Seffra and Jonah

Chapter 5: Awkward Talks

"Stop being so fucking stiff. You're making the horse nervous."

Don't decapitate the human. Don't decapitate the human. Seffra, you are not to decapitate the human.

Funny how the more Seffra told herself that she was not to remove the head of one short, ever cussing man that may or may not be known as Levi, the more she found the idea of doing such to above mentioned man to be enjoyable.

It didn't help that she had to share a horse with him. She had two working perfectly legs and it wasn't like they were galloping. Yet of course, this was part of the deal. When they approached the Wall, they needed to set an idea in the minds of the Military Police.

-AoT-

"You want to me to submit to this shorty?" Seffra growled at Erwin, lip curling upwards slightly in her agitation.

"He is not even the Alpha and you expect me to bare my neck to him!?" It was like this man was trying to be purposefully insulting.

"Seffra, no one said anything about barring your neck." No one could understand where Erwin's unlimited patience stemmed from but it was definitely useful when trying to deal with the 'wild' woman, as some would put it.

"We just need to give the Military Police and all possible authorities that only we are capable of keeping you in line and therefore the best option is to keep you in our ranks where we would be able to handle you should you get out of line."

Did he think saying that made it better?

Her temperament must have shown in her eyes because Erwin continued.

"This is only a ruse. Once we're in the clear, you won't have to fear imprisonment or death any more than the rest of us. Think of it as an infiltration assignment, only instead of sneaking through Titan territory, its humans."

"You don't need to coddle the bitch, Erwin. She already growls at everything. Just put a leash on her and those pigs won't have any doubts. She's already wearing a fucking collar." Levi stated, not even removing his gaze from saddling his horse.

"It's not a collar. It's my identification tag!"

Grey eyes glanced at the growling woman. She could almost tell what he was saying.

_Proving my point._

If she had fur, it would be bristling right now.

Just be the mature one Seffra. Look away and ignore the prick.

"Fucking bitch already has the submissive part down. Can't even keep eye contact with her betters."

Jonah, humanity better be worth what I'm having to put up with.

Erwin nodded over to Levi.

"Levi will be the best one to act the part of jailer. His reputation will alone will benefit us in this ruse, as he is not one to hesitate to kill a threat should it come down to that. For the sake of any investigations, when this ruse is over, you'll be placed in Levi's squad to ward of any questions should as to whether you are still under our control. If we placed you elsewhere right after, some unpleasant questions might crop up and everything will have been for nothing."

Before Seffra could say exactly what she thought on that statement, hands grabbed her shoulders and spun her to the side, the familiar face of the overzealous woman taking up her view. Seffra could have sworn she saw sparkles in the background, though she would never admit such a thing.

"I said you'd be just fine with my squad. Just imagine it, late night girl talk over Titans and awesome future experiments. Just say the word and I'm sure we could have you placed in my squad with annual visits from Levi."

"…."

Seffra glanced back towards Erwin.

"I understand. I leave this matter in your hands."

-AoT-

"I'll sit how I want, Shorty."

"If you think I want to feel your flea ridden body pressed against my back than knock that fucking idea from your obviously empty skull. Once this is done you'll have to learn the proper meaning of a bath."

"I don't have any fucking fleas, Short stack. And I keep clean enough to survive. Anything else takes too long and keeps me from more important tasks. Besides, this is probably the only time you would feel what a woman's body is like, cause I doubt any woman would be desperate enough to mate with someone small enough to be a young boy."

"You two are truly on the path of becoming fast friends. I'm so happy that Levi will have another best friend besides me." Hange cheered from her place by the wagon. Now that the Wall was right in front of them, the goggled woman had taken it upon herself to converse with the bickering duo.

"Shut your fucking mouth, shitty four-eyes."

"Jonah told me that men that always take control must never be considered potential friends or lovers as they always end up being the possessive type and that would compromise my freedom."

No one had any comment from that.

Erwin coughed once, claiming the focus of the group.

"Seffra, once we enter the Wall, you'll be handed over to the Military Police until they put you through a trial to determine your fate. Mike will be escorting you with the MP for two reasons, your safety and to keep you informed should any changes occur."

Seffra glanced over at the blonde faced haired man that had been identified as Mike Zacharias.

"We don't want to play all our cards so soon, so you need to appear confrontational."

"**tch** That shouldn't be difficult for the mutt. Bitch hasn't been anything but confrontational since we had the misfortune to find her."

Don't decapitate him.

"Hange will keep your equipment safe, we don't need anything falling out of our hands. You'll receive your equipment back once this is over."

"I promise that I will refrain from any invasive experiments till then….unless you give me permission?" Seffra didn't even need to look at the woman to know that those weird sparkles would be around her head, complete with a glistening puppy eye look.

"Denied."

She felt no remorse for the now kicked puppy look Hange sported.

"I understand the plan, Erwin. I said I will leave this to you. There is just one thing."

Seffra glanced at her back in the supply wagon.

-AoT-

"We are not digging up a fucking corpse that is still rotting just for you to bring it with you." Levi glared at the red haired woman. Not that he ever had any other type of look. Must have frozen to his face.

"If you could go ten seconds without any unnecessary back commentary, you'd know that it isn't necessary. We just need to dig up a vase. I burned Jonah's body and sealed it in a vase incase the Titans overran this town. I would be able to transport him to a new gravesite this way."

Seffra glanced at the grave before her.

"If they're still alive, his family should have his ashes. Because of me, they lost six years of Jonah's life. They should at least be permitted to finally say goodbye."

Ignoring the looks, she started digging into the ground with her hands. Not even three minutes later, she removed the precious item for the first time in a year. Seffra gazed softly at the item that help what was left of Jonah.

"Where the hell did you find such a fucking ugly vase?"

The item in question was a blend of black and blue paint, with the base tone of gray clay still obvious from the shoddy paint job.

"Maybe it's some kind of abstract art?" Hange asked, sounding a little hesitant.

Erwin noticed the change in Seffra's skin tone and carefully worded his question.

"Seffra, by any chance, were you the one who painted his…..coffin?"

Never had Seffra cursed her pale skin before now, the embarrassed blush painfully obvious on her skin.

-AoT-

"I'll make sure that his family receives them. It shouldn't be too difficult to find out his last name with the year he went missing." Erwin assured her.

Seffra felt her body relax at the statement, happy that she could bring Jonah home, albeit in a strange way.

"You might want to put the ashes in something better, Erwin. No need to blind the family with that fucking eyesore of a paint job."

And now the moment was ruined.

Still, Seffra didn't respond, instead watching the entry way gate slowly rise. There was no going back now.

Now she'll see if humanity was truly worth anything.

TBC…

A.N. First off, I want to give thanks to the following for adding this story to Favorites/Following:

Thaistranha  
Illionna Cifer  
LadyxAbsinthe  
SaChan22  
Repenned  
Fireworks-Are-Artistic

Second, to LockFlower. I'm loved your review and happy that you enjoyed the Levi Hange moment and Seffra's backtalk to the man. If I wasn't a devoted Levi fan, I would agree with your last comment on Erwin.

To aniqal1234, thank you for the compliment and in regards to your question regarding updates and chapters, I hope to post at least two chapters a week MINIMUM. Depending upon time, distractions, ideas, and life itself two chapters a week is the minimum but I may post more. If that changes because of known circumstances, I'll make it known with the latest chapter.

To the rest of you, thank you for reading this story and please leave a review letting me know what could be improved or what you want to see more of (or if there is a type of scene you would like to see).

Sneak peek at next chapter:

_Seffra couldn't stop the growl rising in her throat. It was like the fucking bastard was gloating over the power he held over her, the chain pulling her head up and towards him, jolting her from her kneeling position. He was forcing her to either bare her throat in submission or choke on her identification tag (she refused to call it a collar, though it seemed like one in this situation)._

_"Submit, mutt."_

_She would make him bleed one day. She swore it._


	7. Cages, Trials, and a Lease oh my

Disclaimer: I only own Seffra and Jonah (and the dreams that spawned this story)

Chapter 6: Cages, Trials, and a Lease oh my

A cage. A fucking cage. They had placed her in a damn fucking cage!

Seffra knew that this place was actually referred to as a jail cell but there were bars, no windows, and she was given basic scraps for food. She felt like a dog that was to be put down for fucking sake!

The manacles on her wrists did give her enough leeway to walk the back end of the cell, but only a little. She'd been down here for was she estimated to be a minimum of three days, assuming that she was being given two meals (if one could call them that) a day and the guards changed shifts three times a day.

She hadn't seen Mike since she had been placed down here. From what she had heard when the doorway was open, it seemed that the guards didn't agree that he needed to be down there. He was given proof that she was still alive by the mere fact that she would randomly yell and curse at the guards to keep from going crazy being in a cage.

Today's shift held one of her favorite guards. This one she had managed to bite in the arm, drawing a decent amount of blood before they had secured her to the wall. He still flinched when she grinned, revealing the teeth that had dared to injure him.

Let's just say she made him realize she knew his small flicker of fear in a subtle way.

"Hey, Flinch, when the fucking hell am I being let out of this goddamn cage?"

And cue the flinch.

"You will keep silent. Degenerate like you are an eyesore and should know better than to speak to your betters."

Maybe she should have bitten harder cause this guy was obviously in need of a lesson on manners, like a disobedient pup.

"Didn't you know, I'm new to this place? The only thing I know is how easily it is to slice something's throat and to tear off heads of things over four times my size. You are barely taller than me so it would actually be a simply thing to do."

She pretended not to notice the adams apple quiver from a gulp and the way the man's skin turned pasty.

Content in having made her point, Seffra settled back onto the rough cage bed and decided to take a nap. It took her mind off how filthy she was. The odor would alone would attract Titans like she was wearing a big 'Eat Me' sign and Titans were literate. She hated smelling bad, no matter what that fucking shorty though of her.

-AoT-

It was another two days before the cage door opened.

Seffra opened an eye to see Mike at the entrance, walking towards woman and securing her for moving. She didn't even struggle, settling to smirk at the guards simply because she knew her lack of aggression would rub them the wrong way.

As they walked down the stone corridor, the red head glanced up at her taller escort. The blonde man appeared to be a normal, serious soldier at first glance, but Seffra still remembered how he had sniffed her back in her territory. Apparently this was strange by human standards but she had seen animals smell each other to familiarize themselves with new things so she just ignored it.

Still, at least she didn't have to worry about any snide comments unlike Shorty or listen to this 'girl' talk that Hange seemed to want to have. This silence was just fine. After growing up without it and then living without it again the past year, she had no issue with just keeping silent. Plus, there was no creep factor with being stared at with this guy.

Still, she didn't want to imagine what was about to happen. Now she'll see just how this gamble will play out. Will she (and therefore Erwin cause she will not be the only one to pay if this failed, maybe she could remove a leg or two from the Shorty as well before she was surrounded) die or will Erwin manage to convince this pigs that she was an asset.

-AoT-

She was so going to kill someone, whether this worked or not. She was being placed on a pedestal in the middle of a small fenced area, mocked as her handcuffed hands were secured by the tall stake behind her. It was like she was some animal to be gawked at.

An older gentleman entered and sat down in a chair at the table before her. He glanced at the papers set before him before starting to speak.

"Now that we're all here, we can begin the trial."

Where is that Shorty? And that Erwin?

She glanced around and noticed the Shorty and the rest of the Survey Corps behind a fence to the left. More soldiers were behind other fences in similar uniforms with different emblems. Those must be the other types of soldiers that Jonah mentioned, Garrison and Military Police.

"Seffra Lyall. I am Generalissimo Darius Zackly. I must say that it is this will be a first for me, to try someone not of our military branches and from beyond the Wall. However, the sole right to pass judgment on you rests in my hands, so it would be wise to behave yourself."

There was no hiding the scoff Seffra let escape from her throat.

"That right lies in the hands of whatever fucking god thought fit to bring me to life. If he or she decides I'm to die, you'll merely be the tool used to bring that about. Don't delusion yourself into thinking your high standing means a damn thing in the real fucking world. A wolf will still rip your throat out, no matter your position so don't talk to me about fucking right to judgment."

Murmurs filled the room as the people commented on her stupidity to talk back.

Zackly didn't appear angry though but intrigued at the gall of this woman.

"Indeed, if this were the world beyond the Wall. But we are not in that world where such laws are the ruling power."

Seffra just shrugged.

"If you died in the Walls, your corpse still stands a chance of getting eaten by carrion birds. Your idea of safety is merely an illusion that the Titans shattered years ago and will shatter again once you become complacent."

"Are you saying the Titans are going to breach the Wall again!?" A different man called out. This one, had dark hair, eyes, and facial hair. His military emblem had some warped horse.

"You must be more ignorant than I thought if you couldn't tell that the big muscled Titan possessed intelligence, as did its smaller sprinting partner. They had a plan then and could very well have one now. Maybe if you lived a few years outside your little play pen you'd actually be capable of thinking of this on your own. Such things aren't completely unknown in the real world, idiot. I'm not even going to waste my breathe explaining this to someone not worth my respect."

And to finish off her comment, Seffra turned her head away from the still composed man and went back to staring at the old man.

"These are things that may be brought up at another time. Right now, the matter at hand is what to do with you, Ms. Lyall. An unknown existence that had somehow gained access to beyond the Wall-"

"Can't you even get your damn facts right? I've never lived within your fucking Walls. I've always lived beyond them, only coming within the one you lost to the Titans after it fell. I grew up in the lands you fear, got it? Don't lump me as some rebellious human who just left."

Again, the old man didn't appear frazzled.

"We did have that information as stated by Commander Erwin Smith, but given your mentioned temperament-"

Why did she feel insulted?

"-You were most likely to disclaim facts that were not truth and the court needed to hear it from you."

So he tricked her. Fucking old man.

"Knowing the importance of your knowledge, we now can begin the trial that will decide where you will be placed. With the Military Police or the Survey Corps."

He nodded towards the dark haired man, "We shall let the Military Police start us off."

"Chief of the Military Police Nile Dok, reporting. We believe that secure lock up and disposal of Seffra Lyall, once we have extracted all useful information from her. This conclusion came about due to the nature of her origins. Should it become known that life outside the Walls exists and is possible, we could very well face panic and rebellions among the people. We can prevent any issues occurring should we immediately lock her away from society and be able to secure that knowledge without fear of the discovery of her existence."

His eyes coldly looked in her direction, but Seffra felt like he was actually looking through her.

"The royalty are keeping out of this as they do not yet see her as a threat to their lands. However, despite our attempts these past few days, no information could be gleamed about her apart from one from interesting fact. We discovered that six years ago, a member of the Survey Corps named Jonah Dyer was written as MIA and later KIA. We have now discovered that this man has actually been alive until a year recently. His remains were recently returned to his family, with the statement that he died a year ago of an illness, hinting that Seffra helped him survive for five years. Her access to resources and information on Titans is invaluable but she is too unknown to be trusted."

"She is an abomination and should be struck down immediately."

Seffra glanced over to where the new voice had spoken from. This man was different from the rest, mainly from the outfit which wasn't the same uniform as the rest of the men. This one was more like a weird dress robe that she had found in some lady's closet.

"She brings discord and wishes the destruction of our Walls!"

"Actually, I couldn't give a howl about your dumb Walls. I have better things to do than worry about those eyesores."

She wanted to laugh at how red the dress man's face was turning but she was not such a petty person.

"Thank you for your statement Pastor Nick, but this debate is between the Military Police and Survey Corps. The Survey Corps may now state their right to claim." This was followed with a nod to Erwin.

"Yes, Sir. 13th Commander of the Survey Corps, Erwin Smith, reporting."

So now, let's see exactly Erwin has up his sleeve that he is so confidant will help him win.

"Seffra Lyall has knowledge and resources that can help the Survey Corps. With her vast experience living among Titans and evidence that she taught another to survive for five years out there, her abilities stand to increase not only the Survey Corps survival percentage but also increase our chances of successfully taking back Wall Maria. That is it."

…..what? That is it? That is his big plan? Wasn't Levi supposed to do something that convinces these idiots? Unless he was suicidal and wanted a means of going out without having his name discredited.

"Thank you, Commander. Seffra Lyall, I now have some questions to ask of you."

She only stared back at the old man.

"Do you hate humanity? Does any part of you desire our death or consider the Titans actions against us just?"

Really? Nothing was making sense anymore. This was what Jonah had sacrificed his life to keep her from and some part of her desperately wished he was here to help her understand just what was happening.

Still, she would just have to act as always. If nothing, she would go out with her head held high.

"Do you want the honest truth or just some bullshit that you humans seem to conjure up?"

"The truth would be appreciated."

Deep breathe Seffra.

"You want the truth. The truth is that almost seven years ago I wouldn't have even blinked if you all died off. Part of me still doesn't give a fuck. You all are nothing more than ignorant humans who have kenneled yourself off for the Titans to freely wait until the next time you grow cocky and show you just where you stand in this world. Nothing more than sheep to be consumed when they have the chance, because your all nothing more than fucking cowards that have grown complacent and arrogant in your self-assured safety. You want to stick me in a cage, study and torture me? Go ahead, cause nothing you do could compare to what I endured growing up, against creatures that were far more dangerous and competent at taking me down. So you can all go and fu-Gugh!"

Choking! Choking! Why can't I breathe? Something is suffocating me!

"I have a passing thought of scrubbing your mouth with soap. Now I believe that you need a fucking muzzle to keep the crap from coming out of your mouth."

She felt her identification tag tug against her throat and slowly move as the voice she instantly knew but wanted to imagine was someone else anyway. But wishes ignored, Shorty Soldier aka Levi appeared in her vision, gloved hand gripping her tag, having it cut into her throat. By the time he was almost in front of her, the tag was not so much choking her as it was pulling her forward away from the pole though she had to tilt her head more to compensate the lack of maneuverability in her arms.

"Instead of a cage, all that is needed to keep a mongrel in line is to leash it and train it to bark only when its master demands it."

Okay, just because this was now starting to sound like the plan that had been hinted before. Seffra knew that this had to be what Erwin was banking on, but that didn't mean that she was going just going to let Levi do what he wanted if he was going to keep referring to her as a pet.

"I'm not a fucking dog."

His face was impassive, but Seffra swore that his eyes were smirking. That was when she saw it. He hadn't just been speaking figuratively but literally. Attached to her tag was a metal chain, the other end wrapped around Shorty's hand.

Seffra couldn't stop the growl rising in her throat. It was like the fucking bastard was gloating over the power he held over her, the chain pulling her head up and towards him, jolting her from her kneeling position. He was forcing her to either bare her throat in submission or choke on her identification tag (she refused to call it a collar, though it seemed like one in this situation).

"Submit, mutt."

She would make him bleed one day. She swore it.

Her pride or her life. Those were the two things were the scales here, as everyone watched to see the result of these two colliding personalities and what the result would be. If she kept her pride, then she may very well be tortured and die a pointless death. If she submitted now, before everyone, then she may instead live and continue to see just what was it about humanity that Jonah was willing to risk death for.

Goddamn it.

Eyes closed.

-AoT-

"Seffra!"

Once again she was choking, though these circumstances were different but no less unpleasant. Hange's arms were tight around her neck, cutting off oxygen from her head.

"I'm so happy that you are still alive, or at least as alive as someone who is with a group that could die at any expedition but still alive and with us. Now we can gossip about Titans at any time, during meals, I can share all my Titan research with you and you can share yours with me and together we may be able to catch even more Titans for study!"

"Shitty-eyes, we didn't go through all of this just for your fucking actions to kill the bitch before we get results."

Hange jumped back, letting Seffra breath only to stumble when a bag was thrown at her face.

"These are your clothes, Bitch. Get a fucking bath, I feel filthy just standing feet from you."

"Levi, you shouldn't be so rude. It isn't Seffra's fault that she was kept in a jail cell and unable to bathe." Hange frowned.

Seffra took to glancing at the strange uniform in the bag. One she had known for years yet never thought she would have to wear.

A hand rested on her shoulder. The woman glanced up, seeing ice blue eyes staring down at her.

"Welcome to the Survey Corps, Seffra Lyall. Now you can decide for yourself if humanity, this group of people is worth the risk you took."

Right.

Taking a deep breath, Seffra stared forward at the duo.

'Well, Jonah, I hope that humanity proves to be worth all this.'

TBC…..

A.N. Alright, yes the trial is similar to Eren's trial. Mainly because the characters present would have been in their positions at the time and their strategy was a smart one. However, Seffra isn't Eren with his regenerative ability to grow back knocked out teeth. I am hoping that the means that Levi used to prove superiority over Seffra are within his character. I actually broke my buying series in order for Attack on Titan so I can get the proper volumes with the characters present and better grasp their personality and speech patterns.

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Thank you LockFlower for the compliment and I hope this chapter meets your expectations.

Aniqa1234, I really appreciate the compliment and in regards to changing anything from canon, there will be the obvious differences due to Seffra's presence. While it will be a while before things even get to the Female Titan arc and after, I haven't been planning on altering things that much because the pain these characters experienced was what allow them to grow and learn in ways that we respect and love them for. Depending on the released chapters between now and when I do get to that point and the information we are given on the Titans origins may mean that my writing branches off from what the manga goes. I would like to keep using my theories at that point unless they're close enough that I may alter them without losing what I'm writing. I hope that answers your question.

_Next Chapter:_

_She couldn't believe this. He couldn't be human. Was no one in this group human? This level of desire for something couldn't be normal. _

_Seffra could not believe what she was being made to do. This had nothing to do with Titans or humanity. _

_'Jonah, just what am I doing here?'_

_"Less brooding more cleaning, Mutt."_

_Would removing his manhood be so bad? He didn't need to the ability to reproduce to fight Titans right?_

_Seffra made a note to ask Hange or Mike later._


	8. Difference in Culture

Disclaimer: I only own Seffra and Jonah, nothing else.

Character Sheet

Name: Seffra Lyall  
Age: estimated to be 23  
Gender: Female  
Birthday: unknown (Just uses January 1)  
Height: 173cm  
Weight: 68kg  
Affiliation: Scout Regiment (for now)  
Status: Alive  
Voice Actor: Brina Palencia (English)  
Maaya Sakamoto (Japanese)  
Hair: Red (style is short and choppy)  
Eyes: Green

Chapter 7: Difference in Culture

"Seffra, what are you doing?!"

Seffra glanced up from sharpening her blades, at the look on Petra's face. She was red faced and seemed to be having issues in deciding where she was supposed to look. Eld and Gunther had turned around while Oluo (or as Seffra knew him, grave-defiler or GD) was trying to wipe away the blood coming from both his mouth and nose.

Humans just keep getting stranger.

"You're a young woman, Petra. I believe that your eyesight works just fine. I'm keeping my blades in working order."

"But you're not dressed!"

Seffra ignored the finger pointing at, despite it being right in her face. She had more important things to worry about, like making sure that she didn't accidently shave off too much and make the blade too fragile. It wouldn't do her any good to have it snap while in a battle.

"There's probably about a few more battles." Yeah, until the blade will be too thin to be of useful. Though she could probably snap the main part off and sharpen the base as a dagger or arrows.

"A dagger would be more useful."

"Are you even listening to me?! You're a woman! You can't just walk around dressed like that!"

Just what is this human's problem? Glancing down at her apparel, Seffra couldn't find anything wrong with it. Shoes, pants, belts, jacket, upper undergarment (though this was merely some bandages wrapped around her chest and barely at that). She looked back up at Petra.

"I'm wearing clothes. I do not see the problem."

If the ginger haired woman's eyes widened any further, they might pop from her skull.

"Not see…..not see the problem?! You not only need proper undergarments, but also you can't just walk around without a shirt on!"

The red head frowned, confused by Petra's loud exclamation.

"Jonah said that humans need to wear shoes, pants, and a top to be considered decent. I'm wearing those very articles so by your society's rules, I'm dressed properly."

"You have no shirt!"

"You handed me two top articles to wear. I merely chose the one that was the least constricting."

"A jacket is not a replacement for a shirt!"

A door opened, halting the two females, as all eyes turned to see who had interrupted the awkward situation.

Levi stared back at everyone. "Who is making all this fucking noise? If you all have time to be lazing about causing a disturbance, than you should take that time and clean this shitty base spotless."

Silence filled the room, as if everyone was too stunned by the sudden change in atmosphere that their brains couldn't catch up with what was being said to them.

Grey eyes narrowed, appearing even sharper as his stare alone seemed to convey his thoughts, 'Do not make me repeat myself.'

Suddenly the soldiers in the room couldn't get to work fast enough, as if the image of their new (topless) comrade was erased from their mind as a greater power took over.

Seffra was the only one to remain in her seat, going back to sharpening her blades. Of course by sharpening, she was actually shaving off her blade, slowly thinning the blade but keeping it sharp.

As she was finishing the last blade and smoothing it of any possible defects, a shadow fell over her. Of course, she knew who it was, the fact that she could feel the stare that was actively trying to drill into her skull.

"You do realize, despite your abilities, even you are still incapable of piercing my body with your stare alone."

Finished with the blade's maintenance, Seffra stood, walking around the shorter male to reach the blade's respective sheath and secured it. Once the blades were both properly sheathed, Seffra secured them in their usual crisscross position on her back.

She didn't have any warning when a hand grabbed the back of her head and slammed it down on the table in front of her.

"So not only are your manners deplorable, but you can't even dress. Do I need to train you like a fucking puppy?"

Dazed, Seffra was only able to turn her head to see the man that she wanted to kill so bad right now, holding her head down with strength that seemed out of character for someone his size. How was he keeping her so vulnerable?

"Looks like I'll have to teach you everything from the beginning. Starting with how to fucking dress."

Seffra started to regain proper vision again, though she was startled when her jacket was torn off, only to be thrown to the ground, landing on her back. A shirt was thrown on her head, obscuring her view.

"Lesson one. You wear a shirt."

Sitting up, Seffra let the shirt fall to her lap, glaring up Levi.

"Men walk around without shirts on hot days. Jonah said that I need only make sure my breasts were covered as you men seem incapable of thinking with your top head whenever you see breasts. Don't see why, their just organs that permit the female species of providing milk to their young."

"I don't care if Jonah can shit gold, here and now, you follow my orders, Bitch."

"Don't you speak about Jonah like that!" No one disrespects Jonah.

"I don't speak dog."

If that is how he'll be, then she'll just have to speak in a way that even this idiot would be capable of speaking, violent as he is.

Seffra threw the shirt towards Levi, immediately jumping towards him, fist raised to strike while he was temporarily blinded by the shirt.

"Your form is pathetic."

What?

Before she realized it, Levi had ducked beneath her strike, grabbing her wrist while it was vulnerable. Time seemed to slow down though she knew that realistically, it was all done in a few seconds. Levi flipped the taller woman in the air, followed with an elbow to her stomach when her body was still in the air, parallel to the ground. Her collision with the hard floor knocked the breath from her lungs.

A hand pinned her arms above her head, only to shove them into the very shirt that had been the start of this scuffle.

"Don't think that just because you could survive among Titans, that you're even capable of standing against me."

Seffra tried to keep the shorter man from winning, now just to spite the man who just kept rubbing her fur the wrong way.

The door opened, though both parties ignored it as their scuffle drowned out the sound. That didn't mean they didn't hear the voice calling out.

"Hey, Seffra, are you ready for your medical exam…..i..nation…."

A voice neither party wanted to hear at quite that exact moment.

Hange Zoe had entered.

-AoT-

There are things you expect to see when you walk into a room where people gather during their free time. People playing cards, drinking, gossip being exchanged, Titan information being gushed over (alright that may have just been Hange and her current speech buddy *coughvictimcough*)

What you didn't expect was to see the woman you're looking for being held down by your best friend and fellow squad leader. Hange didn't even know if Levi was interested in women (not that she assumed he preferred men, but she had never seen Levi show any desire to have a relationship, one night or otherwise).

Now Seffra was beautiful in her own, wild way, Hange will admit that. Standing at 173cm, short, choppy red hair with hints of gold blonde strands in the sun, eyes green like the forests. Hange would have placed Seffra's age at early to mid-twenties based on appearance.

Still, Hange couldn't believe that Levi would commit such an act outside the bedroom though. Maybe sexual frustration finally getting out of control? Either way, she couldn't watch this happen, though it was strange they hadn't stopped struggling despite her entering.

"Levi, you shouldn't manhandle a woman. This is how rumors are started."

"Shut it, Shitty Four-Eyes and get your mind out of the fucking gutter."

"This shorty is trying to force me to put on a second top, Hange. Tell him how unreasonable he's being."

What? Hange could follow most things and accept the strange (the Titans weren't a normal thing so not much else could be considered strange) but the reactions she was getting wasn't normal. Well, Levi's was normal but Seffra's comment was still strange. Force a second top on?

-AoT-

She couldn't take this anymore. The shirt was suffocating her with its constant location over her head. Not to mention being so blinded was making her feel vulnerable.

"Fine, I give. Just get the hell off of me!" Seffra managed to shout through the shirt.

The result was instant. The weight vanished, signaling that Levi had stood and stepped away. Seffra slowly sat up, adjusting the shirt to fit properly, moving her sword straps when needed. Once it was on, she looked up to see Hange frowning at Levi.

"You can't just push a woman down, Levi. What if someone else had walked in? Think on how it would look?"

"You need to stop thinking so much. It obviously is just causing shit to come from your mouth."

"Levi, this isn't something that can just go away with a glare. What I walked in on looked seriously like a man-"

"Hange, what are you talking about?"

Seffra's voice had Hange pause, though both squad leaders turned to look at the woman, who honestly appeared confused as to why Hange was not pleased with.

"Seffra, Levi had you in a position that could be discriminating and-"

"He was only pinning me down. Like an alpha wolf pinning down an insubordinate pack member. That's all it was."

Hange's face turned from displeased to blank shock, while Levi merely raised an eyebrow.

A wolf analogy? What was with this wild woman and such strange comparisons with wolves?

"Did you think that the position was of a sexual nature?"

Cue dumbfounded expression for Hange.

"He had me pinned on my back. There isn't anything sexual about that."

Levi's brow raised even higher at that statement. Yeah this woman grew up away from humans but even she couldn't be that stupid.

"S-seffra, you do know how people have sex right?" Hange couldn't believe she was having this conversation at that moment. Had Moblit slipped something in her coffee this morning?

Seffra frowned, confused by Hange's question. Surely these humans weren't so ignorant. They had to have produced children to survive this long.

"Of course. The male species mounts the female from behind and the male reproductive organ enters a woman's-"

Hands covered her mouth. Seffra couldn't believe that Hange had been able to move so fast without a 3DMG.

"All right. I'm just going to forget this happened. We're going to go conduct your health examination and never mention this again."

Levi was already gone, having won the original argument. He had no time for Hange's meltdowns or the Bitch's strange behavior. Rather than deal with strange women issues, his time was better spent making sure those pigs were actually cleaning with his standards.

-AoT-

"You know, I don't see what the issue was. He was merely showing his position of power. Dominance in the pack, showing the newest member who their Alpha is, though in Shorty's case, it would be more the Beta showing dominance in this case."

Hange just shook her head as she finished handing Seffra her clothes back, now that the doctor had left, reassuring that the red head was at the peak of health.

"Seffra, just how do you view us?"

"What?" Where had this come from?

"You keep comparing us to animals, mainly wolves. Now, I am a Titan expert, or as close to one as anyone can be with all my precious data on those amazing creatures. The last one I faced had these amazing blue eyes that seemed to twinkle and-"

"Hange, your point that you want to ask me is?"

"Oh, right." Hange grinned foolishly before becoming serious again.

"With the way you compare us to animals, deferring to us as humans, as if you don't count yourself with us. Just how did you grow up out there, beyond the Walls?"

Seffra paused in pulling up her right boot. Once her thoughts were gathered, she resumed dressing.

"I don't know. I don't remember much from that time. At most, I remember roughly five years before Jonah came into my life. It was like, I just woke up by this stream, and I knew all these things, like Titans, though I didn't call them that till Jonah said the name, and the Walls. Survival, the creatures around me, all this information was in my head. Despite what you may have thought, I could speak, but I didn't speak your language."

That caught Hange's interest. "Our language? You can speak other languages than? The old languages?"

A small laugh escaped Seffra. "Jonah asked that same question when we could finally communicate. I could only speak one language, but I understand more. I observed the Survey Corps long before I met Jonah. I was usually close enough to touch some of you people, though whenever I saw Erwin, Levi, or Mike, I'd stay far away. When you spoke, I could understand your words, but I could never speak them. The words just wouldn't connect with anything I spoke. Jonah helped me with that. Taught me how to speak your words, though I can still speak the original language I knew."

The strange gleam in the goggle-wearing woman's eyes made Seffra a little nervous, like she was an experiment that had just yielded a strange and unknown result. Though that could be the case in some way.

"Could you say something? In that language?"

"_**You are a strange woman, Hange. When you have that look in your eyes, I picture an owl about to swoop down on an unsuspecting rodent."**_

The squeal that followed filled the whole room, echoing through the adjoining hallways. Some of the soldiers cleaning paused before recognizing the squeal as Hange's. They continued, assuming the eccentric woman had merely stumbled on something they wanted no part of.

"Amazing! I have no idea what you said, but I recognized my name in that language, meaning the names must pronounce the same in that language as ours. Though your language seems softer or fluid sounding to my ears. Maybe a dialect."

Seffra just backed away, letting the other woman gush on and on about strange things.

-AoT-

"What is this?"

Seffra stared at the bucket and cloth on the floor in front of her. Levi glared down the taller woman, who sitting down, staring at a letter in her hand.

"Are you blind too now? You are in my squad now, you are going to pull your weight here. I want your room to be spotless. If I see even a speck of dust in that room, you'll be starting over."

With that said, Levi left, leaving Seffra to stare after him in shock, then stare back at the bucket and cloth. Petra walked up and grabbed the bucket, smiling at the woman.

"Come on, I'll show you how to do it. Trust me when I say you don't want the Captain to see dust. He can be scary when it comes to cleaning."

Huh?

Three hours later had Seffra finishing scrubbing the floor, exhausted from all the dusting and wiping she'd been doing. Once that was done, the red head plopped down on her bed, arms sore.

"Even Titans are easier to deal with than this. Why does this place need to be so freaky clean? This level of clean is like asking the Titans to come out and eat us, smelling so different from their surroundings."

The door to her room slammed open, jolting the woman from her bed. Startled into unsheathing a blade, Seffra paused mid-swing. Levi just stood there, as if his glare alone was all he needed to block her attack, even if she hadn't paused.

"You must be confident in the job you did to be lazing around like a dog."

Was this human for real? She pulled a sword on him and he didn't even flinch. Instead, he just walked past her and started looking around the room, probably checking for dirt like Petra had warned her about.

When Levi paused at the bunk beds, Seffra rolled her eyes, re-sheathing her blades. That look in his eyes, you'd think he'd stepped in horse excrement.

"Start over."

….what?

Turning around, Seffra stared wide eyed at the shorter man who was just staring at his hand in disgust, whipping out a cloth and wiping the appendage.

"You missed the back. Who knows what else you missed with this shitty job. So do the whole room over."

And just as quickly as he appeared, the man exited the door, not even bothering to close it.

A little dust. She had to redo three hours of work because of a little dust on the underside of the bunk beds. This wasn't normal. No that wasn't right. This went beyond not normal.

She couldn't believe this. He couldn't be human. Was no one in this group human? This level of desire for something couldn't be normal.

Seffra could not believe what she was being made to do. This had nothing to do with Titans or humanity.

'Jonah, just what am I doing here?'

"Less brooding more cleaning, Mutt." Levi's voice came through the door, though the echo signified that he was still walking down the hallway.

Would removing his manhood be so bad? He didn't need to the ability to reproduce to fight Titans right?

Seffra made a note to ask Hange or Mike later.

-AoT-

Later that night, Hange almost faced death from choking, via her bread going down her airway.

TBC….

A.N: I'm actually going to be updating a chapter a week minimum because I'm going to be starting another story (maybe two if I feel brave) and want to devote even time to all of them. Now I will be going further into Seffra and her language issue in future chapters. I added the character sheet so you can get the basics of Seffra's stats, and added the voice actor section cause these are the voices I imagine her using when I write.

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Thank you all who read this story. I hope you continue to enjoy it and please leave a review and let me know what you think please. Have a good day.

Sneak peek: _The trees here may not have the same feel as beyond the Wall, but it was peaceful. No loud cursing being directed at her, no squeals for information assaulting her ears, no glares from GD, and best of all, she could wear what she liked without the shouts of disbelief at her apparel. _

_"Seffra, here you are."_

_Or so she would have liked._

_Green eyes glanced down to see Erwin Smith standing at the base of the tree. _

_"We were hoping to have a meeting, discuss your circumstances beyond the Wall. Hange shared some interesting information and I'd like to delve a bit further into detail if you don't mind."_

_So now she was to uphold her end of the bargain. Yippee._


	9. Questions and Puzzles

Disclaimer: Only own Seffra and Jonah.

Chapter 8: Questions and Puzzles

"Hey, Jonah, I have fish."

The black haired man fell backwards into the ravine, startled by appearance of the young woman's face mere inches from his own.

Once the older man pushed his hair back from his face, blue eyes widened and turned away from the figure before him. Seffra tilted her head, wondering what was wrong now. Three years knowing each other and this human still baffled her.

"You seem to be catching a fever. Your skin tone is turning a dangerous red. It would be prudent for you to remove yourself from the water immediately to prevent the disease from progressing beyond my capabilities of treating."

The taller man stood, his movements unhindered by the soaked clothes, evidence of his training.

"You idiot! You're the one in danger of getting sick. How many times have I told you that you need clothes?"

It was a little hard to take the man seriously when he was pointing at her assets in full display with his singular hand, head turned away to keep the woman's dignity, though she didn't care either way.

"It got caught on a branch and had to be removed to permit free movement."

"And your undergarments? Did they get caught too?"

There was sarcasm in his voice, Seffra recognized it from previous situations of a similar nature. It was almost boring now that she knew how he would act but the changing color tones were still interesting to observe.

"No. I just used the bandages to protect the fish meat from the elements before I can cook it. They provide no protection from claws or fangs and therefore are put to better use keeping the meat clean then keeping my chest hidden from view."

It was almost humorous how defeated the man looked. She almost wanted to tell him that she understood that his awkwardness around her lack of discretion with nudity was unnecessary and she only permitted such distractions when their safety was not in question. It wouldn't due to have a bear maul him or a Titan catch him because he was too embarrassed to keep his eyes open for fear of viewing her assets. Not that she understood why?

Though this was the very man that had snapped at her when she walked up to him while he was bathing, offering to clean his back and behind his ears, as such actions were only what one did when trust was between them. There was nothing sexual about her actions. Maybe it was because his sister was around her estimated age?

Humans taught their young such strange customs.

-AoT-

No matter what anyone said, Seffra Lyall was not hiding from fear. Even if you stabbed her with alcohol dipped needles heated over a flame, she would never claim fear being the purpose behind her recent action of keeping to the high trees, out of sight. It was a strategic retreat for the sake of not removing head from bodies (she also wouldn't claim that a black haired, gray eyed man was at the forefront of her thoughts.)

She was safe from that Short Clean freak out here. No way would he think to look for her in the trees because that would be the first place she would go to so logic would assume that she wouldn't go there for that very reason. Reverse though process or something. It was sad how different things were within the wall.

It was like a heavy feeling weighed upon her soul. She was now within a cage that gave an allusion of freedom and safety. She had never been caged before these events. Therefore, that meant she had to retain what freedom she could, no matter what that squinty-eyed shorty said.

Which brought to the reason of her strategic retreat. Currently, Seffra was wearing only her bandages, the straps of cloth for the bottom were tied on her person to resemble shorts while she just tied the upper bandages around her chest enough to cover the important parts. After the last incident with Shorty that caused Hange to lose it for some reason, Seffra decided that it was better to just stay out of sight and enjoy the freedom outside and no longer constricted by the tight clothing and gear straps.

"Now if I could only be free from that tiny terror. Than this large cage could be bearable."

The forest regions did have some things going for it though. She may only have limited time beyond the soldiers' grasp, but she was enjoying. _The trees here may not have the same feel as beyond the Wall, but it was peaceful. No loud cursing being directed at her, no squeals for information assaulting her ears, no glares from GD, and best of all, she could wear what she liked without the shouts of disbelief at her apparel. _

_"Seffra, here you are."_

_Or so she would have liked._

_Green eyes glanced down to see Erwin Smith standing at the base of the tree. _

_"We were hoping to have a meeting, discuss your circumstances beyond the Wall. Hange shared some interesting information and I'd like to delve a bit further into detail if you don't mind."_

_So now she was to uphold her end of the bargain. Yippee._

_With a small sigh, Seffra jumped down from her perch, ignoring the fact that the branch itself was at a height equivalent of three floors. Before she could land on the ground, feet first, Seffra kicked off the trunk of the tree, changing her trajectory to the ground to permit a safer landing on her hands, front flipping to land on her feet._

_If Erwin had any questions on Seffra's actions or attire, he kept them to himself. Instead, he turned and returned to headquarters. Seffra followed, annoyed by the destroyed illusion that she was actually in a forest, and not the Survey Corps training grounds. At the very least, he wasn't nagging her about her clothes, or lack of clothing._

-AoT-

For some reason, Seffra felt like this is was some sort of interrogation instead of a questioning. Of course, the fact that she was placed in a seat in the middle of the room, Hange, Mike, Erwin, and Shorty were all situated in front of her.

She had thrown on her torn shirt and pant on, not wanting to deal with Shorty's comments, but not feeling like it was necessary to wear the clothing the soldiers wore. After having worn it once, Seffra had decided if she had to wear it, it would only be under threat. Too stiff. Probably why Shorty always looked like his something rotten beneath his nose.

"-ber?"

Seffra blinked, her focus immediately narrowing in on Erwin.

"What was that?"

"I asked how far back you remember. Hange mentioned before that you said you only remember a few years before meeting Jonah Dyer. Please expand on that."

Jonah, once again, humanity better be worth what I'm putting up with.

"First, I need to know something. How much exactly do you know of the world beyond your Walls?"

Hange stepped forward. "Not much. Sadly, the government keeps all information on the world beyond for itself, if the records still exist at all. If any books still exist beyond their control, then those people are keeping quiet, and probably for good reason. We honestly don't know much beyond what our texts say and that is assuming they can be trusted."

Seffra let out a small laugh.

"The best way to keep livestock calm. Don't tell them what exists beyond their kennel and they won't try and escape."

Erwin leaned forward, elbows on the table as his chin rested on his folded hands.

"You constantly compare humans to animals, yet the way you speak, it is as if you hold yourself to a different standard. Why is that?"

Was this guy trying to trick her into saying she wasn't human or something?

"I can't really answer that. That very answer goes with my memory issue. Like I told Hange, my very first memory is simply waking up by this stream in a mountain region. The only thing I had was a white garment, this collar-"

Seffra reached up to the collar and key around her neck.

"-and information. I knew that I was a woman, human." She emphasized that last word, green eyes staring straight into contemplating blue eyes.

"I knew that humans were no longer the dominate species. That there were abnormal creatures that hunted only humans. I knew all about some sort of **sanctum**-"

"What was that word?" Mike finally spoke.

Seffra paused, closing her eyes as she considered her answer.

"I don't know. Jonah never was able to provide a word in your language that matched the one in my head. But the closest I can come up with in your words is 'safety'. Either way, the word is irrelevant right now. The point is, I knew all this information, but not what these abnormal creatures were called, where the humans were, or even who I was. But I did know all about the animals in the region I was in. Wolves, bears, deer, foxes, and more. I knew their names and habits. I know even more things but Jonah could never give me matching words with the information so I can't really give you any details on that."

"So basically, you can't tell us anything useful beyond what we could easily find out. Useless beyond fighting."

And there was Shorty, always with the statements.

"I'd gladly fight you, Shorty."

Levi raised an eyebrow at the taller woman's statement.

"We already know how that will turn out. You, on your back, knife at your throat."

Canines were revealed as Seffra's lip curled.

"You'll find I'm a quick learner when my survival is on the line."

Hange stepped in between the staring contest.

"Okay, children, let's all play nice or no dessert."

Seffra turned back to Erwin, who had remained silent through the short squabble.

"Point is, I woke up with this information but nowhere to go. With the survival skills I adapted from what I knew of wolves, I managed started walking in the direction of the rising sun. I figured the best plan was to keep moving, as nothing would get done being stagnant. Many times, the sun rose, I'd estimate months given what Jonah taught me. Eventually though, in the summer season, I came to a body of water that I was incapable of seeing land on the other side. Not a lake. It was winter when I came upon land again and resumed walking. I never found humans though I found evidence of their existence. Most likely before the Titans. Eventually, I stumbled upon your Wall. By that point, I had started to feel anger towards you people. You who lived within that eyesore and felt safe. All that time I traveled, I'd seen multiple Titans, surviving by acting the very animals I knew were also capable of surviving in the wild. If there were large groups of Titans, I'd cover myself in the blood and skin of an animal and keep to the shadows as best I could. The Titans never gave me a passing glance. Not even those….Deviants."

-AoT-

Erwin's posture straightened. Now they were getting somewhere. This was new information that could help them expand and prepare for what was beyond the Wall. This was information that Erwin could use. Maybe not immediately, maybe not for years, but someday, this information would be extremely vital. This information proved that acquiring Seffra's continued cooperation was key.

He eyed the woman sitting before them, her posture that of a survivor. Even if she appeared relaxed, there was no wasted movement. She was ready to strike or dodge should any variable in his comrades or his own behavior. Her methods may seem crude and her behavior bordering on scandalous, but none of that mattered. She did what was necessary to survive and all else was merely passing considerations.

And it was those very survival skills that made her a valuable asset. She not only had information on the outside world, but had proved that there were methods of traveling safely, even if they were crude. Given time, Erwin was positive he could come up with alternative methods using her own as the base template.

"Seffra, how did you cross the water? You said that it was summer then winter when you arrived on this side. Those are means of the weather that would tell you the time passing. But you couldn't have swam the whole way. I'd say use a Titan since they're so light weight and imagine being able to have such a large flotation device to study the whole way. Oh, I'm giving myself shivers just imagining months of nonstop studying. But then again, the Titans dissolve after we kill them so that wouldn't work but if there was a means of rendering immovable without killing then the chances of-"

"Cut the crap. I didn't skip training my men to listen to another of your fucking lectures, Shitty Four-eyes."

Erwin once again focused on the red haired woman, ignoring the ever familiar argument between two of his squad leaders. Seffra appeared conflicted though, which the older man found odd. The woman may not be the most agreeable, but she was loyal. She was sharing information as per their agreement and hadn't paused at all, but at such an inconsequential question.

Why? Why was this question worrisome?

Erwin watched as the strange woman took a slow deep breath before answering.

"I don't know."

TBC…..

A.N. This was a bit difficult. Without a lot of information of the times before the story, I have to scrap by with what I have and try and come up with reasonable information that can work. I actually broke my 'buy manga in order' rule with this series and specifically bought the volumes showing plenty of Levi, Erwin, and Hange for character reference. I hope this helps improve the story though. Seffra's history will be explained and I do have it figured out, but won't be sharing it until well after Eren comes into play. Around the female titan arc though. Hope you guys like the preview at the bottom. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.

Special thanks to those who Favorite/Followed the story:

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Miss E. TG. Shire: Thank you for your feedback. I'm glad that you like some of the comments within. I have to bounce back and forth before some seem appropriate for the situation. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

KiraKiraBluemoon: I'm glad the choking wasn't fatal. I'm glad that I was able to create something one can enjoy reading. Sadly for Hange, Seffra and the 'talk' isn't over though. *wink*

KyuubiKR8: Glad that you found this humorous. Had a lot of fun with that chapter.

Aniqa1234: I'm not going to give full spoilers, but I assure you, Seffra won't always take Levi's comments without taking action and survivors learn from their experiences. Thank you for the review

Ryanarima: Thank you for the compliment.

Next Time:

_Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!_

_This was wrong! She wasn't this type of person! She didn't sexually assault people! How could this be happening? Why wasn't Hange reacting to this? Say something, woman! Say something to help her move. Please!_

_Seffra's body felt paralyzed, unable to move despite knowing that she was in a compromising position with Shorty. Why had he tried to trip her? If he hadn't, she wouldn't have responded with twisting his arm and flipping around behind him, the movement tripping them both. They wouldn't be in this position and no one would have the right to call her a pervert. What if he thought she was propositioning him?_

_Jonah, help me!_


	10. A Curious Mentality

Disclaimer: Only own Seffra and Jonah (plus a mysterious being to be mentioned)

Chapter 9: A Curious Mentality

"You don't remember? Is your memory that flimsy?" Levi said, his tone disbelieving that the animal-like woman was so forgetful as to lose a specific point when she remembered everything around that event.

Even the others seemed a little skeptical of what they had heard. Not that they were so obvious in it.

Seffra didn't care though. She just shrugged.

"I only have the vague recollection of swimming and a desperate idea. Make of that what you will, Short Top."

"Memory aside, is there anything you can tell us about yourself that would help us understand you. Maybe by doing that we can understand your circumstances. Anything abnormal? Like understanding Titans? Or even better, where'd your weapons come from?" Hange inquired, an attempt to keep the two clashing personalities from starting a war.

Seffra accepted the change in topic, now that her capability wasn't being called into question.

"Using Jonah's estimate, I'm probably around twenty-four, since my facial features haven't changed much according to him. I do have heightened senses, at least compared to Jonah and most of your men. I can't tell you if that is something exclusive to my being or simply something I obtained from constantly living in danger."

Leaning back, the woman glanced out the window, an almost wistful expression on her face at the sight of the trees.

"I can't tell you how I know what I know beyond what I learned through natural means. That would be like you trying to tell me how you knew how to breathe. You know how but you can't explain where you learned it. All I knew was that my mission was to survive."

Erwin frowned, his head resting on his crossed hands, elbows on the desk.

"Mission to survive? Can you explain that?"

Seffra slightly nodded her head.

"I'm just going to cut off a comment from Shorty and say that I am not crazy and I don't hear voices before he even gets started."

That comments got a few eyebrows.

"It was a voice. When I woke up, this…." She frowned, her mind going back those first moments. "…..female? Male? I can't really tell the gender, but the person kept saying _'You have to survive'_. Over and over, this voice kept saying it as if it was trying to ingrain those words in my head. The thing is…it sounded…..filtered. Like it was speaking through water."

**"_You have to survive!"_**

"It sounded…..desperate."

_**"You have to survive!"**_

"Sometimes, when I dream, I hear those words. Images follow…"

**"_You have to survive!"_**

"Do you remember any of those images, Seffra?"

Erwin's voice…

"People in white…..water….."

Drowning…

**"_YOU HAVE TO SURVIVE!"_**

"Seffra?"

So much white….red splattered all over….

**"_YOU HAVE TO SURVIVE!"_**

"What's wrong?"

I have to survive…..

**"_YOU HAVE TO SURVIVE!"_**

"Hange! Levi!"

Hands on her arms….gray…not white…..

**"_Seff, you have to survive! Please survive!"_**

"HEY!"

Seffra blinked, her vision instantly clear and focused again.

Part of her would have preferred it hadn't, what with Levi's face right in front of her own, frowning. Hange's hands were gripping her left arm, while Levi's hands were on her shoulders. There was a slight pain radiating from her back, as if she had been slammed into the chair's backing.

Seeing that the red head had returned from wherever her mind had wandered, both Squad leaders instantly backed away.

Seffra looked down at her right arm, seeing scratch marks along her inner arm, skin and blood under her left hand's fingernails.

"Ah, it happened again."

"What the hell is wrong with your head?" Levi asked, though it didn't sound so much like a question the way he spoke.

Seeing no way to avoid talking about it, Seffra sighed. Guess that little secret was out.

"Now you see why I don't brood over my memories. Happens every single time I try and remember more beyond the bits and pieces that may or may not be memories."

Hange frowned, though apparently her concern didn't keep her from writing down what she had just witnessed. Seffra's behavior had been bizarre and was something she had to look into later on when there was more time. It was strange how Seffra suddenly seemed to freeze, not blinking at all, staring at something that only she seemed capable of observing. She hadn't even flinched when she started to tear at her own arm.

"So you always try and rip your skin off?" She questioned.

"Yeah. Jonah said that it looked like I was trying to dig something out of my arm."

Erwin lead back into his chair. That event was something that would require looking into. He had never heard of someone experience tunnel vision to the point of not seeing anything else, losing sense of self. Her movements had seemed jerky, like a puppet whose master was just learning the ropes.

"While I would like to talk about this further, this isn't the time. I would like us to return to this phenomenon at a later date if you wouldn't mind though, but only with Hange's supervision and Levi's permission, if that's alright with you, Seffra."

"I don't care. Not like I'd lose anything. Though I don't see why the Shorty has to get involved."

Hange almost laughed at the look on Seffra's face, being told she would need Levi's permission for anything. The woman was actually pouting.

"You forget already, Mongrel? The condition for avoiding permanent lock up is being under my command. You may have some freedom, but you still answer to me."

Hange almost snapped her fingers at the exact moment Seffra growled. It was kind of cute in a way how Seffra acted like a wild wolf and Levi was the trainer tasked with house breaking her. Those two certainly acted like it.

Still, her Titan research required answers from Seffra so they could continue.

"Since past is out of the bag for now, how about your weapons, Seffra?"

The woman almost seemed reluctant to turn away from the glaring contest, but she turned towards the goggle-wearing woman.

Seffra told herself she wasn't admitting defeat to that boy-man. Instead, it was a temporary cease-fire. Instead, she unsheathed a single blade, the white gleam of the weapon eerily bright in the wood room.

"They're made from a canine tooth, ground down to sharpened points."

"WHAT!"

All three men flinched slightly, though none would have noticed it unless they were looking for it. Seffra on the other hand dropped her blade in her lap, clamping her hands over her ears, face cringed in pain from the sheer volume Hange's voice at reached.

Before she could even blink though, Hange had swiped the blade from her lap, back across the room eyeing the blade. Seffra thought that Hange's eyes were shining, or she was witnessing stars glittering all around the brunette woman.

"Is this a Titan's canine? How'd you manage to keep it from deteriorating along with the Titan?"

"It-"

How'd you even get a point like this, it seems natural? I haven't even seen many Titans with sharp canines?"

"It was-"

"How'd you even get close enough to remove it in the first place? Did you-"

"IT DIDN'T COME FROM A TITAN!"

Hange froze, eyes wide in disbelief. She wasn't the only one. All eyes turned towards the blade, running the size of the claimed 'canine' blade. The size of the creature it came from could have only been a Titan.

"Explain." Levi leaned against the wall, arms crossed. He couldn't believe that there was something apart from those fucking abominations that was that big. They didn't know much beyond the Wall but even the government would have said something about a creature that big. Another thing to hold over the populace. A reason to fear and cower within the Wall, caged.

"It's…..hard to explain."

Erwin noticed Seffra's reluctance to discuss this creature but requesting she continue beyond her comfort, as she still seemed willing to talk, despite her discomfort.

"I'll have to give you Jonah's description. I respect the creature as something you avoid. Jonah said it was something you respect."

"Respect?" Erwin had a hard time believing that. Another being they would have to fight apart from the Titans? Were there more and were they a threat to humanity?

"Yeah. It was a wolf. The size was around the height of a five meter Titan from the shoulders to the ground. White fur, piercing blue eyes, teeth-"

Seffra waved a hand at the blade in Hange's hands.

"That is after a year of constant sharpening. They only last that long because cutting away at the blade thins it to the point of being brittle, though the snapped section could be used as a dagger if one is desperate enough."

The idea of a creature that size roaming around as well as Titans was not a comforting thought. Unfortunately for the Survey Corp officers, Seffra wasn't done with her explanation.

"What is different from this creature though, is that it is intelligent. As well as possessing a reproduction system, though it is a female. She eats wild game and is like a normal wild wolf in all but her size and strange intelligence."

"How is it intelligent?" Mike asked, face a little pale at the thought of something like that out there. If it was like a normal wolf, then it would have the flexibility of one despite the size. It wouldn't be easy to track and take it down should it come to that.

"Jonah and I didn't steal the canines, before you ask. It broke off its canines on rocks, cliff rocks. You'd think that was a ridiculous stunt, yet the teeth grew back immediately, sharp as ever. Jonah actually spoke with it a few times. It didn't speak back, but it seemed to understand him. It also kills Titans. I've never seen any other like this wolf. Jonah figured she was either the last of her kind or the only one. Simply something that evolved in response to the Titan threat, like a predator adapting to another predator. Either that or something that came from the same place as the Titans, only with actual intelligence."

Hange was almost drooling with excitement. Another amazing creature to study, but one she could actually have respond! Shivers ran down her spine as she hugged the blade to her body, holding a piece of that very creature Seffra was describing.

"Where does this creature live?" Erwin finally spoke when he knew his voice would sound normal. This thing was a predator to Titans? The very thought was both invigorating and frightening. They had methods of killing the Titans now, but this was an unknown element.

Was this what Jonah Dyer meant by respect it? Respect something powerful and intelligent, without showing fear, and it would respect you. Had Jonah found this creature and somehow gained its respect, thereby gaining its assistance? Could they do the same? Assuming it was still alive.

"It lived beyond the wall. It moved into Wall Maria after it fell. I haven't seen it since Jonah died though. It always appeared in forests though."

That creature was close. How had they never found evidence of its existence if it had been living so close to them this long? Was this a result of its intelligence? The capability of avoiding hunters?

Levi had a hard time believe they had been ignorant of something this huge living near them. Still, it was nothing to stress themselves over. It was still an animal and could be put down if needed.

A knocking jarred everyone from their thoughts.

"Enter." Erwin called out.

A soldier entered, the guy looking a little nervous being subjected to stares from all five occupants.

"What is it?"

"Um…..I was just wishing to inform you that the dinner shift is almost over, Commander Erwin, Sir! We noticed that you and the Squad Leaders haven't been by the cafeteria yet and were concerned that you had lost track of the time."

Erwin glanced out the window. Sure enough, the sun was starting to set. They had all been there for a good while it seemed. They would have to wrap up for now. He would have to go over this information later.

"Thank you. Alright, we're done for today. Thank you, Seffra. You've given us quite a bit to go over."

Seffra nodded, though her focus was on Hange, hand extended. The goggle-eyed woman appeared reluctant to part with the canine. If she couldn't have a Titan to study right now, she should be allowed to study this blade.

"Hange, I need my blade back until I can collect my spares."

"YOU HAVE MORE?!"

The blade was back in the sheath and Hange shook Seffra in glee.

"You have to let me study one. Please, Seffra, I'm begging you! Something like this is a scientific marvel!"

Hange only had a moment's warning when a hand grabbed the back of her head-

"Calm down, Shitty-four eyes. Your rambling is giving me a headache."

-and shoved her forward.

Instead of letting go of Seffra and falling to the ground alone though, Hange reflexively tightened her grip, the jolting movement of Hange's sudden change in momentum resulting in Seffra losing her balance and falling backwards, Hange following.

What happened next, was never to be spoken of again.

-AoT-

~next day~

She was going to make that man pay. From what she had managed to gleam from random chatter and her own experience, the guy was a Beta position, reinforcing his superior's position, though many under his command looked at him as a type of Alpha.

Seffra acknowledged that she couldn't rely on her knowledge on pack ranking when dealing with humans. It was still a type of power play here, power and respect earning you a higher position, but it seemed that power branched according to sections here.

Still, since Levi wasn't the Alpha in the human sense, she would have any problem (ethically) bringing him down a notch.

Plus, her plan was a double serving of revenge. Not only was she going to face plant him into his breakfast, but she was leaving footprints on the wall of the ceiling corner she was currently holding herself up in.

She'd been up here for quite a while, simply waiting for the chance to strike. If this guy was as meticulous about order as he appeared to be, than he would be an early riser.

It was amazing how many people didn't look up as they walked though. Seffra couldn't help but want to scoff at the naivety of the people walking below her, not even sensing her presence.

Didn't these humans know how many predators stalked their prey from higher ground? Well, by the time this strange partnership she had going on with the Survey Corps ended, these men and women would be better prepared for enemies of all types. They wouldn't be so naïve as to think that Titans were the only enemy out there.

Her senses suddenly sharpened, instantly aware that a predator was nearing the room.

Seffra looked down, eyes focusing on the door below her. She tried to avoid setting off Shorty's own instincts by giving off a predator's aura.

Patience was the key to any good hunter. That and making sure you didn't set off your prey's fight or flight instinct. Shorty was definitely someone who would go with the 'fight' portion of that instinct.

Sure enough, there he was, entering the cafeteria, Hange right behind him, ranting about a new experiment she wanted to test out on a Deviant next time she saw one. Levi just ignored her, well used to such pointless ramblings. With each step, he came closer to her strike zone.

Three steps away….

Just a little closer.

Two steps away….

Arms tensed, preparing to let go and pounce.

One step away….

NOW!

Seffra pounced.

The sad thing about plans though, is that they rarely go as you want them to. In addition, when the plans involve aerial strikes, you have little room for improve during mid-air strikes when they go wrong.

As such, Seffra had little room to move when Levi dropped the tray and dropped, using an upper kick to strike at his attacker.

The kick didn't connect though. Seffra managed to grab him by the ankle, using the fast moving limb as a branch to change her trajectory, landing in front of Levi. Instead of cutting her loss and run, Seffra made another attempt to strike, she had height advantage after all.

"Captain!" Seffra could just make out the voice of who she assumed was Petra, but honestly, she didn't plan on wasting time confirming that assumption.

Levi dodged the punch, grabbing her wrist. This was a replay of the last time this woman attempted to strike at him. Did she learn nothing? Apparently this dog needed another lesson.

Seffra felt déjà vu as she was flipped through the air again. She refused to lose again. Not like this! Using the flip to her advantage, Seffra kicked downward at Levi's head. This forced the man to let her go, blocking the strike with his arms. Seffra followed through with a second kick to the side of his head, though this was blocked yet again.

This allowed her to land on her hands, flipping away from Levi as he corrected his stance. Gray eyes pierced into her green ones as the woman landed in a crouch.

"Dogs need a lot of attention it seems. Maybe the first command you need to be taught is how to heel."

"Zip it, Shorty. This is justified revenge. Pride won't let me just wave your actions aside."

Levi's eyes almost seemed to glint at that.

"So I just have to beat you down till your pride is shattered and start from scratch then. Good to know."

From her position, Seffra sprinted forward using her momentum to kick Levi in the neck. He ducked down to the ground, following the action with an uppercut. Seffra grabbed his wrist, preventing the action.

Now, she had him at a disadvantage. Hah, now that Shorty was going to get the beating of his life.

Sadly, in her blind desire for revenge, Seffra forgot one very important rule. Never judge your opponent's ability by appearance. That alone was evidence of just how much fury Levi could invoke in the wild woman.

Levi gripped her wrist, both now unable to use an arm, Levi his right and Seffra her left. This would prevent her from being capable of slinking away from his strikes. Levi decided it was time to end this pointless struggle. Dropping his weight towards the ground offset Seffra's center of gravity, loosening her grip on his wrist. This gave Levi all the leeway he needed to lean down and swipe a leg towards the woman's ankles, going to trip the insubordinate woman off her feet.

Seffra dodged the attack by jumping in the air, using Levi's arm as a balancing board, twisting it to land behind him. To stabilize her movements, Seffra gripped the back of his neck.

There was only one problem with this plan.

Levi still had her wrist in his tight grip and his height offset the determined distance between turning midair and the destined landing spot.

The sudden jarring from her position caused Seffra to fall onto of the man, the crash echoing through the whole room.

When the proverbial dust (cause if there had been dust on that floor, the last men to have cleaned it were going to have been put through drills the whole day without rest, followed by a day of nonstop cleaning) settled, the result of the fight was seen.

Levi was on the ground, arm twisted backwards, head kept down by the hand clamped around the back of his neck. Sitting on his back, was Seffra.

Hange was dumbfounded. Not so much about Levi losing the match (the guy was only human. Someone had to get lucky at some point with the many wins the man had.), but rather at the look on his opponent's face.

Instead of the smirk of superiority Hange assumed Seffra would have had, a petrified look had taken place. The woman's face was also turning an interesting shade of red.

-AoT-

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

This was wrong! She wasn't this type of person! She didn't sexually assault people! How could this be happening? Why wasn't Hange reacting to this? Say something, woman! Say something to help her move. Please!

Seffra's body felt paralyzed, unable to move despite knowing that she was in a compromising position with Shorty. Why had he tried to trip her? If he hadn't, she wouldn't have responded with twisting his arm and flipping around behind him, the movement tripping them both. They wouldn't be in this position and no one would have the right to call her a pervert. What if he thought she was propositioning him?

Jonah, help me!

"Um….Seffra, maybe you should get off of Levi. He looks ready to murder you."

Thank you, Sentinel Hange!

The voice of reason (not usually associated with Hange) allowed Seffra enough strength to jump off and away from Levi. She leaned against a wall near a window, legs shaking at the horror of her actions just now.

Once Levi was up and looking at her, his glare narrowed in on her strange behavior, having never seen the woman look so much like a cowering pup.

"What the fuck is wrong with you now, Mutt?"

Hearing the voice of the man she had just…..but that didn't count! It couldn't!

"It's doesn't mean anything, got it!" She yelled at Levi, desperate to make her point clear to him. She couldn't let him think she…..cause she didn't! The man drove her crazy! Plus, she had no plans of starting a…..just the mere thought horrified her and couldn't be finished.

"What?"

"Seffra, what's wrong?" Petra asked, now seeing that her captain was no longer being attacked. This woman had always been confrontational and cocky, never looking shaken despite so many different things all around her.

"Listen, don't think that meant anything! Cause it didn't! I'm a female so it doesn't count! Got it?!"

Instead of waiting for an answer, the woman jumped out the window and ran down the road, soon out of sight.

Those still in the room were stunned. Unable to connect what just happened in their minds.

"That Mutt is insane." Levi merely stated, now looking (glaring) at the mess his breakfast and tea had made on the floor. The Bitch had left before cleaning up the fucking mess she had made as well. She was going to be cleaning double shifts when he saw her again.

Hange pulled out a journal, one she had started specifically for Seffra. This way to could keep track of her behavior and come up with a sort of rough translation of her actions.

This scene was familiar in a way to the scientist and once she saw the entry she was looking for, Hange started laughing hysterically.

"What the hell is wrong with you now, Four-eyes?" Levi honestly had zero patience left to deal with whatever issue the Titan loving freak was dealing with now.

Hange couldn't answer though, having falling to her knees laughing, struggling to breath at the same time. Not wanting to wait anymore, Levi grabbed the infuriating woman by her shirt and hulled her off the ground.

"What is it?"

Taking a few deep breathes, Hange finally gained enough air to speak clearly, though with a few snickers between words.

"She…she doesn't understand hu-human habits so well."

"We already know she's nothing but a wild mutt."

Hange shook her head. "No, this is different. Her *snort* her understanding of reproduction stems from animal habits. When you had her on her back last time…she didn't care. Animals don't do it facing *snrk* each other. The leader of the pair mounts from be-*giggle* from behind the mate. She thought she was propositioning you to sleep with her, but you were the one on the bottom. That's why she said it couldn't count. Cause the man is the one on top."

Now that she had said it, Hange resumed laughing like mad, even as Levi dropped her back on the ground and walked away, off to get something to clean the mess that Bitch had made. Seffra's behaviors were just so different and observing them was almost an excellent side-job from studying Titans. Hange was actually looking forward to working with the wild woman. The Survey Corps definitely had all the weird personalities among the ranks.

TBC…..

Sorry for the lateness. I accidentally burned my right hand (dominate) while cooking dinner and couldn't type fast enough with my left hand. I also rewrote this chapter four times cause I kept changing my mind on some parts. Next chapter though, will have some more familiar characters though. Curious who can guess correctly what occurred that was said "to never be spoken of again". Clue, it was inspired by Naruto.

I have a poll started on my page regarding Seffra and Levi and how I'll be starting off their relationship (though that isn't for a good few arcs so there's plenty of time). I'd really like your opinion on which of the three ways I put down as I have a rough idea for each though if you have an idea, I would love to hear it. If I use it, credit will go to the person/people who suggested it.

Also, for those who may be curious as to Seffra saying Sentinel Hange, in wolf ranking, a Sentinel are highly respected and are trained to take an Alpha or Beta's place. Their chosen by the Alpha or Beta, so in Seffra's eyes, Hange fits this rank with her high rank amount the troops.

Now a special thanks for Following/Favoriting this story:  
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Aniqa1234: Thank you for your review. Really helped brighten a long day.

And thank you to all who have read this story. Hope you enjoyed this one and please leave a review telling me what you think or how this can be improved. Till next time.

_Next Time:_

_This was the perfect distraction. All these pups were balancing, or attempting to, on these strange triangular stands with wires. Some were pretty good and keeping their balance easily or with only some struggle. _

_There was one though, that was completely upside down. Seemed a little counterproductive to be goofing off like that at a time like this. She may not know what was going on, but even Seffra could feel the slight tension in the air among all these people. _


	11. A Fateful Meeting?

Disclaimer: Don't own anything but Seffra and Jonah.

Chapter 10: A Fateful Meeting?

She should be safe now. Seffra had run fast and far from Levi's position. That is, she ran all the way to an interesting location. Before her stood a wall, or rather, a fence with strange pointed wires bordering the top of the wooden structure. This type of wall just said 'Don't enter. Forbidden territory.'

Well, Seffra wasn't going to let something as miniscule as this get in her way. Especially if it was a human construct that was getting in her way. Besides, that Shorty would never think that she would willing go in there simply because he would think she would assume that he would think she would go in there simply because it was illogical and would therefore avoid going in there because she was likely to go inside because she was unlikely to do so….Seffra felt a headache coming on from trying to think of this logically.

Point is, she was going in.

Getting in was actually simple. It wasn't that hard to twist between the wires without a scratch. If the humans had truly wished for people to not crawl between them, they should have set the strange wire closer together.

What Seffra saw inside was one of the strangest things she had ever seen, and she had walked in on animals doing strange (to her at least) things.

Apart from the Survey Corps on their expeditions, Seffra had never seen so many humans in one location. They were all in what looked like an oversized pit hole. A majority of these humans though seemed to be pups just on the brisk of being prepared to travel with their pack.

Seffra jumped down, sticking to some of the rock formations to get a closer look, though she remained out of sight. She was in plain clothes, so she would stand out too much here.

They were all approaching these bizarre contraptions, three poled tools with a strange curved balance board on top. A pup would strap his or her comrade to the trailing wires and lift them up, making the tested pup do a strange balance act. They were all being watched by a grown wolf (human).

Some were actually doing pretty well, like the girl with short black hair. Her face was blank as she remained perfectly balanced without a hint of effort. A guy who oddly reminded Seffra of the horses she saw in the stables seemed to be doing well, though he had to keep his arms out to keep his shaky balance.

A dark brunette girl was treating the thing like a swing with her posture, though there was no unsteady movements. Her other neighbor was a different story. The grey haired shaven kid looked like he was doing some strange ritualistic dance, though he was keeping his balance.

It was like a game.

This was the perfect distraction. All these pups were balancing, or attempting to, on these strange triangular stands with wires. Some were pretty good and keeping their balance easily or with only some struggle.

There was one though, that was completely upside down. Seemed a little counterproductive to be goofing off like that at a time like this. She may not know what was going on, but even Seffra could feel the slight tension in the air among all these people.

She didn't need to get a closer look at his face to make out the shock and terror. Probably didn't help with that old baldy yelling at him...actually, Seffra could swear that she had seen baldy somewhere before. Years back actually, before Wall Maria fell. Though she had to picture him with a head of hair other than just on his chin.

Maybe the guy had been in the Survey Corps at one time? She would have to ask Hange if she remembered. Otherwise it was going to bug her during the times her mind wandered.

Seffra stuck around for a while longer, watching some people succeed and others fail, though none seemed to fail as comically as that one boy.

Once she noticed that all the pups were in plain clothes, Seffra decided to mingle, keeping close to the shadows though, just in case. She wanted to get a feel on just how fresh these humans were. No one spoke with her, most likely due to the 'back off' aura she gave. If these had been actual soldiers, than they wouldn't have been intimidated with the minuscule amount she permitted to escape. But these were obviously pups, just learning how to use their fangs.

As night settled in, Seffra wondered if she should head back. Knowing Shorty, he was going to punish her for both her actions today and for skipping out on cleaning the whole day. Not that she cared. He wasn't of her pack nor her Alpha so she felt no responsibility to obey him within this structure.

In other words, she was going to keep ditching.

She started walking back within the surrounding forest, contemplating if she should just camp out in a tree or waste time getting lectured and possibly used as a floor mat.

...Camping out it is.

-AoT-

The stars were beautiful, the lake view she had from her perch breathtaking. This land almost appeared untainted by human interference. Sometimes, seeing nature the way she had in her travels (or mindless wandering) and seeing what humans had built and torn down, Seffra wondered if that was why Titans existed.

Had humans back then destroyed the balance so badly that nature created a predator for humans, removing them from the top of the food chain? The only time she had witnessed Titans actually acting like monsters was when humans were around. All the other times, they almost seemed, peaceful. Harmless even.

She didn't necessarily hate Titans. They were merely another foe she faced for survival at random intervals, no different than bears or wild cats. Only bigger. Much bigger.

The sound of footsteps altered Seffra that she could be expecting company.

Pressing herself against the tree, she remained silent. She couldn't attack mindlessly. By the sounds of it, there were four beings closing in on her, though their pace gave no sense of urgency, rather it was like they were merely on a stroll. At this time of night though? Was shorty planning some sort of trap and was using Hange and some others as bait? She could see him doing that, though Seffra doubted Hange would be this quiet.

Instead of any trap worthy soldiers, four pups came out of the tree cover. Two blondes and two dark haired humans of the male variety. They all looked over the lake, admiring nature's beauty for a moment.

Pups by the looks of their cloak insignia.

It was the brawny blonde boy that spoke, continuing a conversation that she was unaware of.

"We'll take it from step one, belt adjustment. By tomorrow, you'll be an expert." He turned away from the view to look at the shorter dark haired boy. Now that she took the time to look, that was upside-down boy. Guess they came out for some late night training.

"I know you've got what it takes, I can see it in you. Am I wrong here?" Brawny's eyes seemed to almost dare UD-boy to say otherwise.

"No, I won't fail. Thank you, Reiner. Thank you." The terror she remembered the boy displaying hours before seemed to have disappeared completely, replaced with confidence.

Seffra finally allowed herself to relax, watching the boys go over the basics of the boy's gear. From what she overheard, Blonde Brawny's name is Reiner, Tall Stock is Bertholdt, Girly boy is Armin, and UD-boy is Eren. She was really getting sleepy just listening to these guys jabber on and one about balance and his gear.

Finally, they seemed to get ready to leave. Seffra was just happy for them to finally leave so she could when she heard something that set her off.

"Finally. I just need to get through tomorrow and after that, I'll be one step closer to defeating every last Titan."

There was no hiding the snort the escaped Seffra. As the sound traveled to the ground, all four boys stiffened, suddenly aware that they weren't as alone as they believe themselves to be. Had a superior found them? How?

"You, a mere pup is going to bring down every last Titan? It's people like you that result in more people dying then necessary."

They all flinched when Seffra jumped down right in front of them. The boys relaxed when they saw not a superior, but rather a woman in plain clothes.

"You really need to get a grip on reality while you're still capable of doing so, pup. Otherwise you're going to get yourself and your friends killed."

Her eyes never wavered from Eren, allowing no mistake to be made as to whom she was speaking to.

The young boy practically bristled.

"Who are you to say what I can or can't do?"

"Seffra Lyall. Someone who has lived enough to be able to guage someone's threat level. And I can say with no hesitation that you, kid-" Before Eren could blink, the woman was suddenly inches away from him, right hand extending towards his head.

"-are no threat what-so-ever. All pups growl and howl but their bite has no real grip."

She poked him right in the forehead with her finger, the action making Eren flinch.

"Grow up, gain some actual muscle, and learn how to survive before you start boasting outrageous claims like that. It's because you're so green that no one will take you seriously in the future if you spout idiotic nonsense like that."

As if just realizing he was being looked down upon, Eren growled and threw a wild fist. If this had been a fight like the ones he participated in back in Shiganshina, it would have connected. However, what may have worked against some bullies, didn't have the same result against someone who spent years fighting against Titans and other dangerous predators.

Seffra flipped backwards, causing the punch to throw off Eren's posture. This gave Seffra the chance to clip him right in the chin as she kicked her feet off the ground. Once her full weight was on her hands, Seffra spun on them, curving her leg to gain momentum, permitting her to kick the errant boy in the chest. Eren got knocked back on his ass as Seffra pushed off the ground to complete the original flip and land on her feet, a ways away from the male group.

"Eren! Are you alright?!" Armin ran forward, checking on his friend. Reiner and Bertholdt both stepped forward, ready to assist should the strange woman attack again.

Instead though, she merely leaned back on her heels, eyes staring down at Eren with empty contemplation.

"You're still too young to understand just what it means to face off against Titans."

Eren glared up at the red haired woman, fury so strong that if it were a blade, it would have pierced her flesh.

"Don't think you know me. I've seen what those monsters do to humans. I saw firsthand how they penetrated Wall Maria." He didn't shout, but his tone told all there was to tell of his temperament.

Seffra just raised an eyebrow.

"Do you want a medal or something?"

The boys couldn't help but be shocked. This woman had just dismissed one of the greatest tragedies humanity knew of as if they were just talking about the weather.

"I don't care if you witnessed the arrival of the Titans personally. In the end, you are still nothing more than a pup baring his blunt fangs at a higher predator. I see nothing worthy of respect. Any human can wave a blade around and kill something. To me, you're nothing more than an infant in his toy box, unaware of just how large the world is. If you ever want to achieve that goal of yours, you need to do more than snarl and bite at everything thrown at you."

She was done with this boy. If he didn't learn any humiliation from this, then he was going to learn through harsher means, assuming he actually survived this training he and his comrades were participating in.

Without waiting for any response, Seffra walked away, feeling the eyes of the boys on her until the shadows engulfed her.

It would be years later that she would find out that Eren Yeager had sworn revenge on her at that time, determined to bring her to her knees and prove that he was strong enough to defeat the Titans. That it would be that very thought, along with slaughtering the Titans, which would continue to push the boy through training.

-AoT-

Seffra couldn't help but think that she should have stayed by the lake, despite the errant pup, as she growled up at Levi, who was currently staring down at her. Poor Seffra was on her back on the ground, his foot on her chest, keeping her pinned down. A bucket and rag was beside them both, indicating exactly what Seffra was trying to avoid doing and what Levi was going to make her do.

TBC…..

A.N. I wasn't going to have Levi in this chapter but this just popped into my head and had to be added at the last minute, a tribute in a way to the torture my soul sister put me through. She actually pinned me down like that, trying to get me to cosplay as a guy when I refused despite having drawn the short straw. (I still claim that the straws were rigged somehow). I hope you all enjoyed Eren's introduction and I hope he was in character with this interaction. Seffra's thoughts were actually some of my frustrations regarding Eren's behavior given an outlet, written with Seffra's personality.

Special thanks to: **otakuxchanxdesu**, **AoiChouko**, **Wonkie**, **PyroKitsune**, **Vivien The Killer**, **Jetta-chan**, **Imaginer Lady**, **Becka3490**, and **Mockingjay2001 **for adding this story to Favorites/Following.

aniqa1234: I am okay. I'm used to burns, cuts, and the like, just hurt like hell since it was on the hand with skin that stretches and being the dominate hand. Thank you for your compliment.

Becka3490: Thank you. I'm glad you like this. That helps my confidence and desire to improve to make it more enjoyable to read.

KiraKiraBluemoon: Correct! Naruto inspired that scene. It wasn't going to be there originally but as I was writing it, I suddenly thought it would be perfect to add. Thanks for the review.

And thank you all for reading this story. Please let me know what you think and if there are any type of scenes you'd like to see and I may try to fit them in.


	12. How to Build Trust

Disclaimer: Only own Seffra and Jonah (and ocs the temp-appear)

Chapter 11: How to Build Trust

Cloud.

Cloud.

Cloud.

Bird.

Cloud.

Blowing leaves.

Cloud.

A long, drawn out sigh escaped Seffra Lyall's lips. She had been in this confining Wall for almost a month now, and in all that time, nothing had happened. Her days went relatively two ways.

Version one, she ditched cleaning time and practice with the soldiers successfully, spend the whole day alternating between napping in the tree branches and walking among civilians until nightfall.

Version two, she ditched cleaning time and practice with the soldiers unsuccessfully, Levi capturing her and making her suffer through hours of hardcore cleaning or worse, sitting through Hange's Titan lectures and ideas.

Honestly, she was starting to get bored. She hadn't been on a hunt for days and the wait until the next expedition was too long in her opinion. Plus, Erwin said she had to learn horseback riding with a saddle. Which Seffra ditched as well. Most of the soldiers avoided her, most likely because she was an anomaly. Not that she blamed them. In their eyes, she was nothing more than an animal walking on two legs and capable of speech.

Ditching had been fun for a while, knowing that she was giving Shorty a headache simply because she dared to defy him though.

"Seffra, are you up there?" And cue minion number one showing up. In response to Petra's call, Seffra only had one response.

**_*"Quack."*_**

"Cut the crap you Beast Woman!" And ugly copy came as well. Fan-fucking-tastic.

_***"Quack."***_

"Damn it, woman!"

_***"Quack."***_

"Seffra, the Captain isn't going to like this. Please just come down and finish your duties. This is childish."

_***"Quack."***_

"How long are you going to keep this up?" Sounded like the woman was starting to learn the way of things. Seffra wouldn't respond to someone who acted like an Omega. That pansy 'be friends with everyone' attitude would only get her killed. Especially the way she blindly followed 'Captain' Shorty. If she couldn't think for herself, what would the girl do when she found herself in a situation where she only had herself to rely on?

Seffra could understand following your Alpha and Beta to the ends of the earth, but even a wolf needed to be capable of reacting with their own instincts. Alphas and Betas didn't live forever and sometimes you could be separated.

So, Seffra would keep doing what she was doing with no regard to Petra or Copy-cat's 'request' to come down.

_***"Quack."***_

The sounds of unbridled fury spurting from Copy-cat's mouth was almost nail grinding music to the red head's ears.

-AoT-

It was weird, watching humans walk around, acting as if there was nothing to fear. Seffra had managed to ditch Shorty's minions earlier after quacking got boring. Since these soldiers mainly relied on their gear to maneuver quickly through the trees, Seffra had the advantage of experience. Poor minions were stuck running on the ground trying to keep up.

Back to the show at hand though. People watching.

"Mommy, can we have that for dinner tonight?"

What was really weird to watch were the humans smaller than even Shorty. Such creatures could only be the pups of humans, or children. She knew of them, but no matter how many days she ended up watching them from alleyways and roof top shadows, Seffra still couldn't believe the existence of something so innocent looking.

Their teeth didn't even look capable of piercing a fish's skin. Even a pup could do that.

"This Wall truly is nothing more than a gilded cage. Those children would die the moment they were apart from their pack."

"And that is why we need to take back Wall Maria. To be one step closer to letting these children grow without the fear of Titans hanging over them."

Seffra didn't allow her body to even twitch, though her heart wasn't so easy to calm. How the hell had this guy managed to sneak up on her?

"Did you need something, Erwin?"

Green eyes glanced through bangs, towards the tall blonde standing beside her. But instead of looking at her in disappointment or irritation, the commander was staring down at the civilians. Children laughing as they ran down the street, mothers looking over the food stalls, and stall keepers shouting out regarding their wares. There seemed to be nothing those icy blue eyes missed.

"You've been missing a lot lately. I've heard that you've been missing training and Levi's assigned tasks."

"*scoff* I didn't agree to be a damn floor wiper. I agreed because I wanted to see what was so damn special. What was it that prompted Jonah to fight for these ingrates?"

Seffra removed the collar from her neck, staring at her name, the only thing she had that proved her existence beyond her memory.

"If you die, you will simply be replaced. These people place no value on your life, so why do you fight for them? That is what I came here to see."

Erwin sat down, leaning against the chimney Seffra had secured as a support structure.

"I want to tear down the Walls. Not just the ones that surround us and keep the Titans out, but also the ones that the hierarchy placed. The ones that have kept us ignorant of the world beyond what we've known."

"That is an unrealistic goal. Do you really believe you can just shatter what these people know and expect things to become sunshine and rainbows?"

Was this really it? Such a pointless goal if that was the end of it.

"No."

Seffra looked over towards the blonde man.

"I don't expect that things will just become simple after pushing back the Titans and leaving the Walls. I'd actually be disappointed if things were that simple after all the sacrifices made towards that goal. But we can't grow and spread our wings until we take that step towards the unknown."

Seffra watched as Erwin looked from the bustling crowd below them to the clear sky above.

"I imagine that there will be years of struggling, reason being the lack of knowledge we possess, but I believe that every one of us will only be able to prosper after we take that step into the unknown. In these Walls, we are what you describe us as. Ignorant, complacent, nothing more than cattle blindly following those in power. I believe humanity can be so much more."

Erwin's fist clenched, the skin turning pale as blood thinned where the muscles clenched.

"I will use and sacrifice anything if it gets humanity closer to that goal." Blue eyes stared hard into contemplative green.

"Whether it be people from beyond the Wall or from the darkest part of society, I will use them to bring humanity forward."

Seffra almost felt like she was witnessing an Alpha stating his intention to take down an opposing pack. There was no hesitation in his gaze. To Seffra, those eyes almost appeared to be viewing something beyond either of them. Maybe they saw what Erwin desired, humanity's rebirth.

"I know that this isn't what you want to hear, Seffra, but I ask that you continue to be patient with us. We are not free to make decisions as freely as we'd like within here. There are powers that we need to maneuver around. Your presence hasn't been easy for some parties to accept either. There are eyes on us always, so we need to be careful. I promise you though, I am not taking your relinquishing your freedom lightly. I am using you to benefit humanity. There is no getting around that. You do not truly benefit from helping us. So I will so you why these people, these complacent beings, are worth our freedom and lives. It will take time, but one day, you will see it. I give you my word."

That said, Erwin stood up and started walking away, content to let his words stew in the woman's mind.

She wasn't willing to let that be the end of it though.

"Why exactly did you come out here? I doubt you tracked me down just to give a speech."

Seffra wasn't too sure, but she could have sworn that there was a small smirk on the Commander's face.

"As interesting as it is to witness someone capable of actually irritating 'Humanity's Strongest Soldier', I do need to get paperwork done. I merely wished for you to consider taking some time getting to know the soldiers and working with them. I find one can understand their comrades better when they spend time working with them, rather than spending time avoiding them and watching from a distance. I'm not asking for you to completely submit, as per your view, Levi isn't the Alpha, but if you could relinquish a bit of pride and do 'some' work, tempers might cool a bit."

And with that said, the man left.

Seffra sighed before plopping down on the roof, staring up at the sky.

"Guilt me why don't you."

Still, she couldn't prevent the smirk from appearing on her face.

"So Shorty was that annoyed huh?"

TBC…

A.N. Sorry for the lateness and shortness of the chapter. I was cleaning and the many chemicals caused a coughing relapse that had me curled in bed (my lungs are scarred from chronic bronchitis so coughing fits have me curling up in pain) so now I have a good several weeks of random coughing to look forward too now that the worse is over.

No Levi in here cause I want to start building Seffra's trust if not understanding of these people, as she still looks down on most of them. Erwin got some screen time as well, cause he is someone that I believe could help mold Seffra's view of the Wall dwellers in a better light. Also, there's a tribute to Space Duck Krillin here. Till next time.

Special Thanks to **that0nelittl3girl**, **Aku Tora**, **grim assassin sherlock101**, **Emmabyx**, **xxRyuu-himexx**, **gory pancake**, and **NiKay9** for Following/Favoriting this story.

aniqa1234: I'm glad you like Seffra scolding of Eren. I have to say I felt some satisfaction from writing that. Thanks for the review.

KiraKiraBlueMoon: Thank you for that compliment. I couldn't stop grinning. I'm glad Eren remained in character. Regarding the cosplay…yes I still ended up as Squall from FF8. I did get three free books though. I hate how easy it is to bribe me.

Mai (guest): Thank you for the review.

And thank you to all who've read this chapter/story. Next chapter will be longer.

_Next Time: _

_She could feel their eyes. These people were cheering for these soldiers, though Seffra doubted that such actions would be as welcoming on the return visit. These humans, they cheered and smiled, but she was almost certain that on the inside, they all had the same thought._

'_I'm glad I'm not them.'_

_The gate before them started to lift, signifying the beginning of the expedition. _

"_Seffra, we're a team."_

_Green eyes glanced over towards the smiling Petra._

"_We're counting on you as well. Despite what you think, you are one of us. Let's survive this."_

_The ginger haired woman almost shivered as those green eyes stared at her unblinkingly. It was hard to understand just what went through the wild woman's mind, apart from ripping remarks. Still, the Captain was willing to trust her, at least with fighting, so she was going to as well. _

_She couldn't stop her body from relaxing when those eyes closed and Seffra returned to facing forward._

"_Survive this and I'll upgrade your status from Omega to Warrior."_

_Petra couldn't help the smile that appeared. Seffra was reaching out._

"_Yeah." Both women stared at the endless plain that appeared before them as the gate finished opening. _

_Erwin raised an arm and signaled for the Survey Corp to move forward._


	13. Side Chapter: Jonah

Disclaimer: Don't own Attack on Titan, only original characters.

Notice: I am still working on the next official chapter hinted in the last preview. Because of car troubles that needed immediate taking care of (stupid catolic converter and iac valves), I haven't had the time to reach a good stopping point for the chapter so this is something to tide you readers until I can post the next official chapter. These side chapters will mainly be small character chapters surrounding Seffra and another character. Daily life or events that occurred in the past or present. Plus small humor situations I can't fit in the serious times. So here is the first part. These will be short posts in between chapters.

Side Chapter (Jonah): The Meeting that Changed Two Lives Part 1

There were many ways to live one's life. Some people found satisfaction in merely keeping a stagnant life, ignoring all possible changes that hold even the slightest risk. Some tried to make the most of their situation but are willing to adapt if something changed their environment. Then there are those who would fight tooth and nail to even have a small glimmer of hope in changing their lives completely.

For Jonah Dyer, he was the latter. Stubborn to the core, his mother would say. His sister Alisha would say that he was just trying to be macho.

Maybe they were right though, in a sense. This had merely been a simple scouting mission. Go ahead of the group and get an idea of what lie ahead, preparing for the next official expedition. Things went south when Jonah's group had encountered a 12 meter Titan near the forest edge. The thing had almost appeared out of nowhere. They had scrambled for the trees, two eaten before they could even use their 3DMG to get to higher ground. Jonah was the only survivor, barely managing to take out the Titan when two more appeared.

He had decided fleeing was the safer method, giving this route up for loss. He wasn't stupid. Trying to take out these Titans when he wasn't sure if any more were around was suicidal. Ironic for someone in the Scouting Legion to brood over, but Jonah knew the difference between being willing to lose your life fighting and running head long to your death.

He was no good to anyone dead, while he had a chance of avenging his comrades if he survived.

Now, that was all good in theory, if not for one problem. His gear was out of gas. Now he was stuck up a tree, literally. Still, Jonah preferred his chances off the ground than on it.

Running a hand through his black hair (free of gray or white stress hairs thank you very much), blue eyes glanced over the various branches and calculated the distance between them and his own. Once he gathered his strength, Jonah was going to try and use them to scout the edge of the forest. If he was lucky, then maybe he would find someone from the Scouting Legion.

-AoT-

This was really slow going. Without his gear operating, he wasn't able to make the longer jumps and was stuck finding alternative routes. Sometimes he had to climb higher or lower to get to a closer branch. It was a great workout, but still a pain. No one would ever be able to say that Jonah Dyer just sat and accepted life as is, but rather fought against it the very end whenever that came about.

It was in the middle of a leap between branches that it happened. One minute Jonah is feeling the wind push against his body as he temporarily flew in the air, the next, a great force is crushing his body. As he caught view of just what had him in its grasp, Jonah couldn't believe he had missed it.

A fucking Deviant with abnormally long arms.

The damn thing almost seemed to be messing with him. Instead of eating him or killing him right away, it was just staring at him.

"Fucking monster!" With a shout, Jonah punched at the hand gripping him, even though he knew it wouldn't do any good. He wasn't going to just let this thing eat him! Not here! Not now!

As if bored with him, the titan slowly started bringing the man up to its mouth.

"You won't win! Do you hear me?! You monsters will never kill us all!"

Jonah only had time to shout a final curse at the creature before it tossed him into its mouth. That wasn't the end of Jonah's will to live though. Cursing his luck, Jonah grabbed the outer part of the Titan's front teeth, halting his descent into the cavern-like stomach of the being that desired to swallow him.

"You think I'm just going to accept death?!"

If he could just throw himself out before the thing closed its mouth. Then he might have a chance. A slight and pathetic one but still a chance.

Luck wasn't with him however. As if it knew that its prey was still fighting to live, the monster quickly clamped its mouth shut, decapitating Jonah's left arm just above the elbow.

It was with a cry of agony from the sudden loss of his limb that Jonah started sliding back into the Titan's throat.

Damn it…damn it…damn it…

"DAMN IT!"

And down the tube Jonah went, towards the belly of the beast.

It was down into the darkness that Jonah saw the light. In a sense. He is merely sliding down a slime filled hole where the muscle almost seemed to suffocate him along the way, cursing in his head to preserve oxygen available when the sudden presence of light blinded him.

Fresh air seemed to flow against his face as something rammed into him from behind, forcing Jonah forward towards a tree. The sheer force from landing on his stomach knocked all air from his lungs, temporarily paralyzing the man, though that may also be the pain catching up with him.

The combination of sudden limb loss and the whip lass with the branch slowly took its toll on the Survey Corps member's consciousness. Black filled his vision. It was only through sheer will power that Jonah managed to remain awake long enough to see bare feet next to his head, a strange white blade trailing alongside the pale skin. As the darkness took over, he just managed to see the feet leap off the branch, the shouts of what seemed to be a female voice and the Titan's cries following him into oblivion.

PART ONE END…

A.N. The second part will be posted sometime soon, and if these small character chapters are well received, I'll be doing more with other characters.

Provided I don't have any issues with my car (riding my bike to work is time consuming and exhausting) I hope to finish the official chapter this week. I apologize for the lateness but I'd rather be longer between posts and give you something worth your time to read than something half-assed (pardon my writing language).

Special thanks to the following for Favorite/Following this story: **SongsofSiren**, **sillystring-roxs-the-earth**, **hyourin-kusabana**, **BTricks**, **Zecrea**, **makoto-touchmebana**, **Shinigamidemidragonslayer99**, **GozenReiji**, **Leah Hunter**, , and **OuterSpaceHooker**

**aniqa1234:** I'm glad you like Erwin's speech. I rewrote that scene so many times cause it just never sounded right. Glad to know my notebook's sacrifice wasn't in vain. Hope you like this short side chapter.

**Zecrea:** Thank you for the review. I'm glad her and Levi are well liked. Can't stop grinning when I write their scenes.

**GozenReiji: **Thank you for that compliment. When I read reviews like this, I actually get excited to write and improve myself. Thanks again.

**Leah Hunter: **First, thank you for the review. Second, I will definitely look into getting a proof reader to help with the small errors. I appreciate the advice and I know what you mean about getting excited with something and can't stop typing (or talking) about it. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

**(Guest): **I appreciate the review, thank you very much.


	14. It Takes Two

First off, I'm truly sorry about the long wait. This month has been hellish. Not only did my employer go into surgery, resulting in my hours increasing, but my computer had issues that required wiping the hard drive. It wasn't until I finished and checked my portable hard drive did I realize that I hadn't backed up my Attack on Titan folder…meaning I lost the original chapter 12. I actually cried from frustration and exhaustion. This isn't even close to the length the original was, but I hope you all still like it. Once again, I'm sorry for the lateness.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from Seffra and Jonah.

Chapter 12: It Takes Two

Never give your opponent quarter. No matter how painful it can be, you must continue to persevere. Showing the enemy even the slightest hint of your will weakening would only result in the chances of defeat increasing exponentially as they take that sign as encouragement and they're own will would be bolstered. She would not permit such an atrocity occur because of a little exhaustion.

"Um…Seffra?"

"What the hell is she doing?"

She will not falter before this foe standing before her. While he may have the upper hand in muscle mass and size, no one was more stubborn than Seffra Lyall.

"Wow! I can just feel the intense aura these two are giving off. Two opponents unwilling to accept defeat, no matter the odds against them. This must be the difference between people who've grown among Titans and those in the Walls! Look at her! She doesn't even allow a being such as a Stallion to best her!"

Hange's cries of joy and wonder drowned out the questioning comments and disbelief.

"Four-Eyes, I doubt that is a result of her growing beyond the Wall so much as the Mongrel's animal nature revealing just how mindless she truly is to have a staring contest with her horse."

Petra couldn't suppress the scream that escaped her throat as a white blade swung down towards her Captain's head. Levi didn't even blink as he casually took a small step to the left, twisting his body out of the blade's course with little effort. Dust was kicked up as the abnormally large blade slammed into the earth. A small fissure in the ground spread from beyond the focal point of the attack.

"Seffra! You can't just attack people like that!" Her fear for Captain Levi was quickly trumped by her horror at Seffra's complete disregard for anyone between the two clashing adults. Her Captain could handle himself just fine but that didn't mean everyone else was capable of surviving the potentially (potentially her ass, more like cataclysmic) deadly clash between those two.

It was even more terrifying how Seffra hadn't even glanced over to where she was swinging her blade, her eyes still in a deadlock with the black horse before her, as she had been for over thirty minutes apparently. By the time they had all arrived to get the horses ready, Seffra had already been deeply engaged in that strange mental dual with the horse.

Petra truly didn't want to find out just how long Seffra had been holding a staring contest with that horse. There were such times where ignorance was truly a bliss.

Without responding to Petra's lecture, Seffra, without breaking her stare with the stubborn horse, lifted her blade from the ground, rubble rising and falling off the blade. She tilted the blade so that the edges were parallel to the ground, giving a single slash to the side to rid the blade of any remaining filth before returning it to the sheath on her back, letting the hilt once again rest, crossed with its twin.

"I knew no one was there. Everything in this place is so damn clean I can smell every last one of you people if you're close enough. I could walk through this place blind folded and not bump into a single one of you on accident."

"Does that mean she bumps into people on purpose?" Gunther whispered to Eld.

"So you're like Mike than, Seffra?" Hange exclaimed. If they had two people with such keen senses, than maybe she would be able to finally get her hands on a Deviant Titan to study. Just the thought alone had drool starting to rapidly drip from the scientist's mouth. A handkerchief was placed in her hand, snapping the Captain from her thoughts.

"Captain, please desist in entertaining such thoughts in public." Moblit Berner requested, being the one to have produced the cloth.

If none of the soldiers knew Hange and the bizarre woman's thought process, they would have assumed that Moblit meant something far dirtier than was intended. But they did know the woman and instead found his words slightly terrifying. Anything that had Hange drooling could only mean terror and hardships for the rest of them.

There was such a thing as playing innocent and hoping they were elsewhere before the woman wrangled them into some suicide mission. Which was ironic considering how people viewed the Scouting Regiment.

As people edged away from Hange, who was in the process of wiping away the drool, Levi walked over to Seffra, having had enough of the woman's foolishness. It was bad enough he had to deal with Shitty Four-Eyes' Titan obsession, he wasn't going to put up with this wild woman and her dominance issues.

Seffra didn't even register the hand on top of her head before her face was slammed into the ground. She only had the chance to brace her arms, keeping her upper body off the ground as her knees slammed to the ground.

What the hell?

She didn't get far lifting her head from the ground before something else slammed on top of it, immediately reacquainting her face with the ground. Seffra had just enough room to slightly tilt her face to the side, permitting sight to be remotely plausible from her right eye. Not that the view was any more appealing than the ground.

Actually, she liked the ground more.

Levi's boot was digging into her head as he blankly stared down at her, almost as if he wasn't truly viewing the taller woman beneath his foot but rather a speck of dirt. What was worse, because she had, somewhat, caught her body from falling to the ground as well has her head, she must look like she was kneeling before the bastard!

"We don't have time to deal with your attitude today. Now that your little game is over, get your ass up, clean yourself of the filth you've covered yourself in and prep your gear. We leave in an hour, Mongrel."

If Seffra's mouth was free from the possibility of filling with dirt, she would curse at the short bastard. He was the reason she would have any dirt on her face!

Unfortunately, by the time Seffra lifted her head form the ground and was assured by Petra and Hange that her nose wasn't broken or bleeding, the fucking bastard was already gone.

Not that she didn't have a scapegoat handy. Seeing the gleeful look on Oluo's face at Seffra's appearance and punishment at his Captain's hand (rather…his foot), the red head felt not even a teardrop worth of guilt when she drop kicked him into the ground before walking off.

And Jonah said she needed to learn self-control over her anger issues.

-AoT-

Still, why did that Shorty have such issues with her? Sure she skipped out on cleaning five days out of seven, she swiped fruit now and then, she only attended training every couple days, and she was taller.

Ah, that must be it. She was a woman and taller than him. Bastard should have drank his milk if he wanted to be tall. Sure Seffra only remembered as far as several years ago and had already been tall but even back then, she would drink llama milk, yak milk, and even elk milk if it was available. She didn't remember how she knew but even Seffra knew that milk was vital to bone growth…or was that bone strength? Either way, milk was vital.

Seffra raised her head from the well bucket full of water she had dunked her face in while having this mental debate, shaking her head to rid her hair of any droplets.

"It helps to have a towel handy."

A small towel was raised towards Seffra, the movement almost hesitant. Green eyes followed the arms up to the face of whomever had followed her.

"Ah, Shorty's female follower."

Petra just sighed before offering the towel again.

"You know, the Captain doesn't hate you."

Those eyes didn't even waver. Petra could just tell that her words weren't being believed.

Eyes closed as she tried to think about how to convey her thoughts so that they'd reach this woman, Petra was startled with she felt the towel lifting from her hands. She couldn't stop the flinch that was reflexive after being startled.

Seffra ignored her movements in favor of drying her face and hair. There was a difference between purposely covering oneself in animal blood or skin and being covered in dirt. One was for survival and the other was simply unsanitary. Even if Jonah said her perception was a little skewed, he didn't dismiss the results.

Seffra didn't like being covered in dirt. Mud was alright cause her skin actually looked better afterward but dirt just felt disgusting. Sure she didn't really care about appearances, but that didn't mean she disliked the feeling of looking good. Maybe this was what Jonah had meant about woman instincts.

As long as they didn't cause an issue with her survival instincts, than Seffra had no issue with them.

"Do you hate the Captain, Seffra?"

Huh? Was the woman still talking?

Seffra looked up from the towel, towards Petra who was so stiff that she could easily topple if pushed. Was her answer really so important?

"No. I don't hate him." Seffra answered as she tossed the towel back to Petra. The relief on the ginger haired woman's face was short lived though as Seffra finished her answer.

"I just can't stand him."

Petra almost dropped the towel in exasperation. It honestly didn't look like things were going to go smoothly for quite a while. Petra watched as Seffra walked away, the taller woman messing with her sheath straps as she headed towards the stables.

Still, if she wanted Seffra to join in the training sessions and cleaning chores more, than Petra had to make the first step in making Seffra feel a part of the group. Petra had tried to find out what she could about wolf culture, as per Captain Hange's advice. The scientist had said that Seffra may feel more comfortable attending such sessions if she didn't feel like a lone wolf trying to fit in among dogs.

Hange's words, not Petra's just so that was clear.

Petra couldn't just expect Seffra to conform her methods. That would mean changing and disregarding everything she had learned to survive in a world where such a thing as safety was a myth.

Petra couldn't begin to understand such a woman. Just like Captain Levi, whose own transition to the Survey Corps was different compared to everyone else but had managed to find his place because of the Commander, so too would Seffra. Petra would make sure of that.

"If only she didn't scare me when she stares with those eyes. I feel like a predator is staring me down when she does that."

So step one in Petra's personal operation was decided. Maintain eye contact and firmly state Seffra's standing in the group. She just had to do it in the one place where Seffra couldn't walk off and dismiss her.

And Petra knew the perfect spot.

-AoT-

She could feel their eyes. These people were cheering for these soldiers, though Seffra doubted that such actions would be as welcoming on the return visit. These humans, they cheered and smiled, but she was almost certain that on the inside, they all had the same thought.

'I'm glad I'm not them.'

The gate before them started to lift, signifying the beginning of the expedition.

"Seffra, we're a team."

Green eyes glanced over towards the smiling Petra.

"We're counting on you as well. Despite what you think, you are one of us. Let's survive this."

The ginger haired woman almost shivered as those green eyes stared at her unblinkingly. It was hard to understand just what went through the wild woman's mind, apart from ripping remarks. Still, the Captain was willing to trust her, at least with fighting, so she was going to as well. Besides, she had her own mission to accomplish. She would keep eye contact.

….Not that she would complain if Seffra deigned to blink anytime now.

Petra couldn't stop her body from relaxing when those eyes closed and Seffra returned to facing forward.

"Survive this and I'll upgrade your status from Omega to Warrior."

Petra couldn't help the smile that appeared. Seffra was reaching out as well. Or she was merely acknowledging Petra's own attempt.

"Yeah." Both women stared at the endless plain that appeared before them as the gate finished opening.

Erwin raised an arm and signaled for the Survey Corp to move forward.

TBC…

Thank you to the following for Favoriting/Following this story: **Masterful-Mind**, ** .furlong**, **Chris the Metis**, **l1s44p**, **SKYLARK333333333**, **SallyStitches13**, **Matsuri Hikari**, **Yumie8Element-Magic-Fantasy**, and **DrAnime203**. Plus, thank you too all of you who've read this story so far.

**aniqa1234: **Glad you like Jonah's character. I honestly wish he was still among the living.

**Chris the Metis:** Thank you for the review.

Next Time:

_She didn't even register the cries. Her name being shout loud enough the heavens were sure to here didn't even reach her ears. To Seffra, all that mattered was the open cavern before her. Timing was everything and any distraction had the potential of resulting in her death. _

_Just a little closer…_

"_SEFFRA!"_

_She could smell its breath. Rotten fish smelled better._

"_Revas! Pull back!"_

_She was only feet away from its mouth. Still not close enough. _

"_Petra! What are you doing?!"_

"_She's going to die!"_

_Ignore everything. Keep calm…_

_The hand started to release its grip, holding the woman over the beckoning cavern beneath her feet. _

…_be patient…_

_She was free falling towards the darkness._

"_SEFFRA!"_


End file.
